The Mega Millions jackpot has jumped to $512 million after no one had the winning numbers last Friday. That means a rush to the local grocery or convenience store for tickets.
It ALSO means a rash of stories from the media that I call the "you have a better chance of..." stories. Here are some of my favorite stats:
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 258 million.
That means you have a better chance of...
Struck by lightning, while drowning (1 in 183 million) - I like the fact that the media decided to research being struck by lightning AND drowning at the same time
Killed by an asteroid strike (1 in 700,000) - unless you have a laser gun that slides left and right along the ground *pew* *pew* *pew*
Have an IQ of 190 or greater (1 in 107 million)
Attacked by a shark (1 in 11.5 million) - odds improve for Shark Week
Elected President of the U.S. (1 in 10 million)
Getting struck by lightning (1 in 164,968)
Being drafted by an NBA team (1 in 6.8 million)
Becoming a movie star (1 in 1.5 million)
Dating a supermodel (1 in 88,000) - odds improve if you are handsome like me
Being killed by a vending machine (1 in 112 million) - unless it's a vegetarian machine with just leafy snacks - then, you are probably just going to suffer some bumps or bruises.
People will buy the tickets anyway because, as my friends with the Iowa Lottery tell me, they are buying the dream. I am always fascinated at the threshold amount that inspires people to buy. So...100 million was peanuts but 500 million is totally worth it?!