Monday, April 13, 2020

Powerball Draws in Its Fangs

by Pa Rock
Lottery Player

I play the Missouri state lottery.  I'm not proud of that, but every day I usually manage to make it into one of our many area quick-stops and buy two one-dollar lottery tickets - not to support education, which I do ardently support - but rather to have a chance of winning some easy money. One of the tickets that I buy is "Missouri Lotto," a draw game with a minimum prize of one million dollars that usually advances one hundred thousand dollars with each draw when there is no grand prize winner.  The other game that I play is "Show Me Cash" which is also a draw game with a minimum price of $50,000 that usually advances $5,000 after each drawing where the grand prize is not claimed.

That's when times are good.  But now, thanks to the Trump Virus which still runs rampant across the land, social distancing and staying at home have curtailed my lottery experience.  In fact, I haven't bought a ticket in more than two weeks.

Apparently there are lots of other lottery addicts who also are not currently playing, a situation that is undoubtedly placing many state budgets in financial peril.

And the lack of sales has decreased the prizes on some of the biggest games, a situation which could further depress sales of tickets.  Take for instance, Powerball, a game that is played in forty-five states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.   Powerball sold one winning ticket on April 8th.  A lucky player in New Jersey hit the jackpot and won a cool $190 million!

Normally after a big win, the Powerball grand prize resets at $40 million and then advances a minimum of $10 million after each drawing in which there is no jackpot winner.  Now with the new lottery reality, Powerball officials had to back off of the big money.   The new prize when the jackpot resets is a paltry $20 million, and it only advances a minimum of $2 million each time a drawing fails to produce a grand prize winner.

If the Powerball gods think they can get me to cough up two dollars for literally no chance at all to win $20 million when two weeks ago the same two dollars would have bought me literally no chance at all to win $40 million . . . well, then . . . they're nuts!

My mama didn't raise no dummies!

But for those who still have the itch to play, most states seem to have deemed lottery retailers as "essential," so there a plenty of places to risk one's life in order to play!

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