Jackpot Worth The Drive: Wednesday’s Powerball Reaches $559 Million
It is the stuff dreams are made of. That quick trip to the convenience store turns into living in the lap of luxury. You are America’s newest millionaire (or even billionaire) and will enjoy a few years of jackpot induced ultra-wealth before you squander it all. Of course, if you live in Las Vegas, there is nothing quick about that trip. The Lottery is evil and you shouldn’t be able to walk into your local 7-Eleven, walk past the slot machines and video poker and buy a Powerball ticket! There could be children around! (We kid. Bring the lottery to Nevada.)
There have been so many massive lottery drawings lately that we have created a rule. We don’t start talking about lottery jackpots until it crosses half a billion. Well, we are here. Wednesday’s estimated jackpot is a staggering $559 million. Of course, after taxes you might be looking at only half of that. But somehow we think you’ll manage if you win.
Where To Get Powerball Tickets
Step 1, know the rules. Arizona and California both have the lotteries. But California’s law does not have a “lottery tax”, while Arizona does tax your cash at 4.8%. That can be a hefty sum if you’re hitting for $559,000,000. What state you go to could save literally millions of dollars if you hit.
Step 2, know how famous you might be. In California, they will announce your name as soon as you claim it. Ask Edwin Castro who had to deal with trouble even before his name hit the papers. Meanwhile in Arizona, if you win over $100,000 you can choose to have your name permanently anonymous! Yeah, you’ll pay the tax, but how much is your anonymity worth?
What Are The Odds Of Winning The Powerball Jackpot?
We don’t want to dash your dreams… but the odds are slim. Your odds are 1 in 292,201,338. So, before taxes, you could buy every permutation of a Powerball tickets and win almost enough to pay for it. But the clerk in Primm will hate you.
