HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The next Powerball drawing is Saturday night, with the jackpot having grown to $1.7 billion. That makes it the third largest in Powerball history.
University of Houston professor Christopher Lutsko joined Eyewitness News live Friday morning to break down the odds of winning.
He explained the “gambler’s fallacy” by saying there’s no such thing as a player being due for a win in a game of chance. The chances of winning this current jackpot are about one in 300 million.
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“To put that in context, you’re about 15 times more likely to get struck by lightning than you are to win the Powerball if you buy one ticket,” he said.
There’s no good mathematical strategy for trying to predict the Powerball number. However, lottery officials have said a majority of jackpot winners use Quick Pick.
Lutsko also said splitting the prize is more likely when people choose birthdays and favorite numbers.
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