A Lottery Dream
As I write this the Powerball Lottery stands at $700 million +.
Although I know the odds, I’ll play.
Some facts of my life:
I’m 2 months short of 65.
I’m 6 weeks past a total left knee replacement.
I’m 1 year past a 3 vertabra spinal laminectomy.
I’ve been widowed 5 ½ years.
Enjoyed a 36 year marriage & 4 ½ years dating (the only person I dated).
I’m 15 years past a total right knee.
Except for my writings I’ve hidden my TG existence.
I’ll never pull off a Kaitlyn Jenner...
wrong body type, wrong face, and already had too much surgery.
I’m at peace with God in all her aspects.
If I were to win...
I’d put 99 percent of the winnings into a tax free charity to provide safe living quarters for fellow TG who are need of shelter and a safe environment similar to A Home that Love Built as in Asche’s recent story about Joy.
We can all dream....
Comments
Rught there with you - 65 in March
but I've got a wee bit of me out of the closet with Mrs D (31 years in May). I'd love to do exactly what you'd do with a home that love like ours would actually build. Thanks for the reminder that I'm not alone in so many ways.
Love, Andrea Lena
No more hatbox for BigCloset
If I were to win.
Of course I would like to remain anonymous. Apparently the best way to remain anonymous is to form an LLC or nonprofit and have it accept the winnings.
As usual, the question is lump sum or annuity. At 52 years of age, I am half tempted by an annuity though a lump sum still would be nice :).
alas the odds are too steep.
the odds are just so painfully visiblie, over 250 mil to 1, and the odds do not get better with the more tickets you buy.
You have a better chance of being struck by lightning and attacked by a shark at the same time than winning.
It is paneful, if I were to win I would try and fix things in my life and then set the rest aside, also give a nice stipend to this site to try and keep it going for eternity as well.
The math is just not in any of our favor.
interesting little tidbit most lotteries are actually used in states so the can make the people with the least pay for the public school systems, and remove them from businesses that make larger amounts of money. It is a sad fact. They prey on our hopes and dreams with lotteries.
and the fact that the amount grown to over half a billion tells us our chances.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Odds versus payouts...
The odds are only too steep because the tickets cost $2. If the ticket cost only $1, taking into account taxes, you would technically have a positive expected value playing the Powerball with this jackpot if you took the annuity, and it is very close to break even taking the lump sum. This is if you are the only winner though, which is something you can't predict and is less likely with larger jackpots.
To be break even at $2/ticket (and assuming one winner again), the jackpot would have to be around $900 million for the annuity, or about $1.5 billion for the lump sum.
.
urk! nevermind...
Well shit, I guess it really CAN happen here..,
.
Actually, They Do...
...the odds do not get better with the more tickets you buy...
Your odds of winning do get better, but the percentage payoff goes down correspondingly. With two tickets, the chance that you'll win is twice as good, but you've spent twice as much in hopes of collecting the same payoff. If the total payoff is $750 million and you buy 1000 tickets with different number combinations, you've improved your odds of winning into the one-in-a-quarter-million range, but if you lose you're $2000 poorer rather than $2.
If there were 250 million number combinations and you had the time and money to buy a ticket with each of them, you'd be assured of collecting a share of the $750 million payoff. But you'd only come out ahead if you were the only one who had them correct. If you had to split the payoff even with one other person, you'd suffer a net loss of $125 million.
(Raith, if you're thinking of what's become known as the Monty Hall or three-door problem where the odds don't change, this isn't it.)
Eric
250 mil to 1
The odds against winning being 250 million to 1 only applies if you actually buy a ticket. The odds against winning if you don't buy a ticket are infinitely greater than that.
Now mind you, I try not to play the lottery, however even the 15 million base amount is tempting. So to prevent me playing every drawing I only allow myself to buy one ticket for only drawings of over 100 million. OK, so when it goes this long, I'm buying two tickets a week until there is a winner. But four dollars a week toward the schools and other public works in my state... I consider it a donation. I can afford it and it does some public good.
As to what I would do with the winnings... Being a Christian who's active in church, my local church would get a tenth off the top. (A tithe you know.) I would then set up an annuity to fund a salary for my Pastor who has been serving for the past twelve years without compensation. Ten percent would go into setting me and all my family members up for life and the remainder would then be placed in a non-profit LLC and administered to other Christian ministries.
No doubt, even with only a 100 million jackpot, my ten percent would be a great deal more than needed to accomplish my goals for myself and my family. Out of the excess, would be donations to other non-Christian charities.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin ein femininer Mann
I've known two people who let accommodation
to TG tenants to help them make ends meet, and both got robbed. I know this happens in the general leasing world as well. I know that a background of having problems such as: lack of employment, social isolation, money worries, abuse and often alcohol or substance abuse, doesn't mean people are dishonest but it does increase the risk for the landlord. You might be better establishing some sort of company that could employ these people and let them sort out the other problems themselves.
Angharad
In agreement there
Transpeople are still 'people' first.
99%
Of $700 million is $693 million. You would definitely need professional help to administer a fund that large. I don't know where you would get such help to run a TG charity, although I'm sure it could be done and it is certainly a worthwhile goal.
Probably the best bet would be to try and spread it around.
Anyway, good luck. I hope you win.
It just rolled over
They say the Jackpot is now $800Million for Saturday's PowerBall! If that is too much for $2.00 Ticket you can always buy a $1.00 for MegaMillion for $165Million Dollars - Your Choice!
Alright I am trying for it
I bought 5 numbers, if I win the cash out i will follow through on what i said.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Entertainment Value
I long ago decided that what you are really buying when you buy a lottery ticket is the entertainment value of dreaming about what you would do with the jackpot. This entertainment can last until the lottery drawing occurs (or you learn of the results). So it's a little like going to see a movie, for the price of a ticket you are entertained for a period of time,.
Winning the actual jackpot is so unlikely that it contributes little to the "value" of the lottery ticket. Another way to look at it is the only way the odds of winning could be worse is if you don't participate.
Michelle B