LAS CRUCES — You have a better chance of becoming president, catching the plague or being crushed to death by a vending machine than winning the Powerball jackpot.
But that hasn't stopped hopefuls across the country from snatching up lottery tickets.
The third-largest Powerball pot in history climbed again Thursday to $550 million after no ticket matched Wednesday's winning numbers: 2, 11, 26, 34, 41 and a Powerball of 32.
The pot will likely grow even more by the drawing Saturday night, as will sales. Slim odds and big jackpots seem to feed the buying frenzy rather than douse it.
"That's when you see sales escalate, any time before a drawing," state lottery spokeswoman Linda Hamlin said.
The state saw $1.4 million in Powerball sales alone from Sunday morning to Wednesday night.
"We're keeping our fingers and toes crossed that the jackpot lands in New Mexico," Hamlin said.
Ryan Garbarino, manager of Cigarette Xpress on Solano Drive, sells tickets but rarely buys one unless the potential boon is big.
"This one I will play," Garbarino said. "The last one on Tuesday wasn't big enough."
If he wins, "I'd buy the store and hire somebody to work while I go on vacation."
Ginormous jackpots have especially captivated Americans and their wallets this year in light of Powerball raising ticket prices from $1 to $2 in January 2012, boosting minimum winnings to $40 million.
The largest Powerball jackpot was $587.5 million in November, split by a winner in
Arizona and one in Missouri.The highest lottery pot ever, though, is a $656 million Mega Million windfall, split by three winning tickets in March 2012. (Mega Million's jackpot for Friday's drawing is $190 million.)
Hoping you'll be the next mega winner? The odds are not in your favor.
But don't worry, you still have a better chance of winning the lottery than having a meteor fall on your house.
Lindsey Anderson can be reached at 575-541-5462. Follow her on Twitter @l_m_anderson
What are the odds?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 175 million. You are less likely to win the lottery than:
— Be crushed by a vending machine: 1 in 112 million
— Be diagnosed with the plague: 1 in 17.6 million
— Become president of the United States: 1 in 10 million
— Become a movie star: 1 in 1.5 million
Sources: Book of Odds
But that hasn't stopped hopefuls across the country from snatching up lottery tickets.
The third-largest Powerball pot in history climbed again Thursday to $550 million after no ticket matched Wednesday's winning numbers: 2, 11, 26, 34, 41 and a Powerball of 32.
The pot will likely grow even more by the drawing Saturday night, as will sales. Slim odds and big jackpots seem to feed the buying frenzy rather than douse it.
"That's when you see sales escalate, any time before a drawing," state lottery spokeswoman Linda Hamlin said.
The state saw $1.4 million in Powerball sales alone from Sunday morning to Wednesday night.
"We're keeping our fingers and toes crossed that the jackpot lands in New Mexico," Hamlin said.
Ryan Garbarino, manager of Cigarette Xpress on Solano Drive, sells tickets but rarely buys one unless the potential boon is big.
"This one I will play," Garbarino said. "The last one on Tuesday wasn't big enough."
If he wins, "I'd buy the store and hire somebody to work while I go on vacation."
Ginormous jackpots have especially captivated Americans and their wallets this year in light of Powerball raising ticket prices from $1 to $2 in January 2012, boosting minimum winnings to $40 million.
The largest Powerball jackpot was $587.5 million in November, split by a winner in
Arizona and one in Missouri.The highest lottery pot ever, though, is a $656 million Mega Million windfall, split by three winning tickets in March 2012. (Mega Million's jackpot for Friday's drawing is $190 million.)
Hoping you'll be the next mega winner? The odds are not in your favor.
But don't worry, you still have a better chance of winning the lottery than having a meteor fall on your house.
Lindsey Anderson can be reached at 575-541-5462. Follow her on Twitter @l_m_anderson
What are the odds?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 175 million. You are less likely to win the lottery than:
— Be crushed by a vending machine: 1 in 112 million
— Be diagnosed with the plague: 1 in 17.6 million
— Become president of the United States: 1 in 10 million
— Become a movie star: 1 in 1.5 million
Sources: Book of Odds