Could You Have Won The Lottery? Find Out Here!
I'm sure you saw the news story about the woman who has been playing Powerball with the same numbers for 30 years and they finally hit.
Judy Finchum from Clifton, Colorado won $133 million over the weekend. She's played the same number combination (all family birthdays) consistently for three decades and now she's rich.
I rarely play Powerball and never use special numbers. Buuuuuuuuut... maybe I should. I took the 5 birth dates for me, my wife and my kids and plugged it into the Powerball database and checked as far back as it will go, which is 20 years.
Have I accidentally missed out on MILLIONS??? Well, since 1997 the largest jackpot I missed out on was...
$7!
Yes, SEVEN dollars (which you ALWAYS want to take in a lump sum, by the way.) If I played the same set of 5 numbers and a Powerball of 1 two times a week, my lottery "track record" over the last 20 years breaks out like this:
6 matches: 3 balls and no Powerball ($7)
1 match: 2 balls + Powerball ($7)
54 matches: 1 ball or just the Powerball ($4)
The grand total of "winnings" for two decades: $265
My cash outlay for the $2 ticket two times per week for 20 years: $4160
Woo Hoo!!!!
Wanna see if you've missed out on being a millionaire (or, a multiple $7 winner)? Hit up this link, plug in your special 'lucky' numbers, check the "show only prize winning matches" box and hit submit!