Miami Herald - Your odds at winning the Powerball multimillion jackpot just got better — but it’ll cost you. The price to play Powerball will double starting next January, but that extra dollar, along with a redesign of the game, also doubles the payout to a crisp $40 million, according to changes the game unveiled this week by Florida Lottery officials. Right now, odds are 195 million to 1 that you’d win; but come next year, you’ll have a much better shot: one in 175 million. “In essence we’re making it easier to make millionaires,” said Jacqueline Barreiros, spokeswoman for the Florida Lottery. “If that’s the case, then I think most people will hold off on buying tickets until its a really big jackpot,” said Jay Rodriguez, 33, outside of the Chevron Gas Station, 3100 SW 148th Ave., in Miramar, where he occasionally purchases lotto tickets. Barreiros said lotto officials aren’t concerned that a price increase could result in declining sales, noting that the price of Powerball tickets has not changed since the game was introduced in 1992. “Can you think of any product where the price hasn’t increased in 20 years,” Barreiros said.
Get a load of this slick talking asshole, huh? "Can you think of any product where the price hasn't increased in 20 years?" Are you selling a product now? Because I thought this was the lottery we're talking about.
What the hell lady, making it easier to make millionaires my ass. I don't buy lottery tickets for the chance to become a millionaire, I buy lottery tickets to escape reality for about 5 minutes at the end of the week. Just the dream that maybe some day I won't have to crawl back to my cube Monday morning to do the same exact shit I just did the week before.
And do me a favor, you keep those better odds. Can I opt out of this? Seems to me that doubling the price, but only increasing the odds from 195 million to 175 million-1 isn't that great of a deal. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to win still. You've increased the price 100% and barely made a dent in the nearly impossible odds of winning.
The only silver lining in all this is maybe, just maybe backwoods bums, sanitation plant workers, the guys who hang out playing Keno all day, and bums collecting cans won't have enough cash to play as much as they currently do. I have to be the only person with a real decent paying job that still plays the lottery. A rise in price has to increase my odds since all these poor people who usually win can't afford to play anymore, right?
