The US Powerball is one of the most popular and largest lotteries in the world. Since its launch in 1994
thousand of people won millions and there have been enormous record-breaking jackpots. It is common
for most people not to pay it much attention, except for when the figure become completely outlandish.
Although the idea of a lottery is pretty simple and straightforward; players pay a small amount for a
ticket and they probably could win millions, the action comes with a lot of surprising and interesting
facts. Below are some interesting, and possibly even, funny facts about the largest lottery in the world;
1. The biggest jackpot in history was shared between three people:
On the 13th of January, Powerball reached an astounding $1.6 billion. This would have made the
winning number the biggest winner in history. But as fate would have it, three numbers won the day.
Hence, the jackpot was shared among three players. Each lucky ticket holder therefore went home with
$528.8 million.
Gloria Mackenzie remains the winner of the largest single-handed Powerball win, when she walked
home with $590.5 million won on May, 2013.
2. US Powerball draws are held under tight security:
It is not unusual for people to assume that the draws may be manipulated to suit certain purposes. But
this is not so. With so much money at stake, the draws are done under intense security to prevent any
such manipulations. During the draws several official of the lottery commission are present as well as an
independent auditor and security officers. The balls and drums are maintained and tested regularly and
are stored in double-locked and alarm-secured safe.
3. We spend more on lottery than most other form of entertainment:
In 2014 alone, Americans spent $70.1 billion on lottery tickets. This is according to the North American
Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. By comparison, just $63 billion was spent on books, movie
tickets, video games, sports tickets, and recorded music combined.
4. Most people blow away their money by being generous:
While most people assume that lottery winners lose their money by spending it on things they can’t
afford, the biggest reason most winners lose their money is because they are too generous and give
away the money to those closest to them.
5. There were once 110 big winners in a single draw:
This sounds highly unbelievable but it is every bit true. On March 30, 2005, 110 people won the second
place prize, in a division where there are usually no more than five people. This caused a lot of confusion
and suspicion, forcing operators to conduct an investigation into the winners. It turned out that the 110
winners entered the numbers of a fortune cookie made by a company in Long Island, New York.
6. Lottery companies do not make as much money as people think:
Most people assume that lottery organizers keep all the profit and only give a fraction to the winners.
This isn’t true. Of the money made from ticket sales 50% goes towards paying winners in different
divisions, 40% to good causes and charity, and 10% to the retailer who sold the winning lottery ticket.
The lottery organizers also must account for employees salaries, advertisers etc. In the end, what they
make as revenue in comparison to the winners isn’t as much as most people think.
7. People are more likely to do the following than win the lottery;
a. Die from an asteroid strike: 1: 74,817,414
b. Become a movie star 1: 1,505,000
c. Get struck by lightning 1: 1,101, 000
