Marylanders Hoping Powerball Jackpot Will Change Their Lives Forever
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Powerball fever is gripping Maryland and the entire U.S.
Tracey Leong with excited lottery players who hope those six little balls will change their lives forever.
Stores across the state have been fueling the Powerball frenzy. On average, more than 9,300 tickets were selling a minute in Maryland. Everyone is hoping to strike it rich.
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It's the biggest Powerball jackpot in history. Who can resist?
"Yeah. I mean, $1.5 billion. Who's not excited about that?" said one woman.
"Somebody's got to win," a man said.
At the Canton Market, people are feeling lucky, already planning how they'll spend $1.5 billion.
"House on the beach," one woman said.
"So I don't have to go to work tomorrow," one man said.
But the odds aren't in your favor. The probability of winning is 1 in 292 million.
"Everybody needs a financial blessing somewhere. Somebody's bound to win something," one woman said.
Rounding out the top five:
- This $1.5 billion is the largest jackpot ever
- $656 Mega Millions in 2012, one of the tickets was sold right here in Maryland.
- Another $648M Mega Millions in 2013.
- A $590 million Powerball in 2013
- Another Powerball from 2012 that was $587 million.
Breaking down the numbers: if the big winner takes the cash payout, it's about $616 million after taxes. The annuity option is roughly $15 million paid over the next 29 years--more than anyone can imagine.
Even financial analysts say it's uncharted territory.
"The world will be at your doorstep. You will have friends that you have long ago forgotten," said Richard Friedlander, a partner at Rosen Sapperstein & Friedlander, LLC said.
But no matter the likelihood of winning, it never hurts to dream big.
"I hear you have a better chance of getting attacked by a shark and getting struck by lightning in the same day than winning this Powerball," one man said. "But I'm still going to buy a ticket."
Now if you didn't win the big Powerball jackpot, don't throw those tickets away just yet -- you may have won a smaller prize. So don't forget to double check!
