Community Corner

What are the Odds of Winning the Powerball Jackpot?

Not good. We've got some perspective for you.

Do you feel lucky, punk?

Yeah, you and 189 million other lottery winner wannabes.

The Powerball has reached a historic jackpot total of $550 million – and rising, with every ticket sold before the winning balls are pulled Wednesday night. After taxes, that's still a shot at $360.2 million cash value.

Find out what's happening in Nashuawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But it's still a long shot – your odds of winning the big money are about 1 in 175,223,510, according to the Lottery Commission.

If you'd like to try for something more attainable, we've compiled a list for you, in no particular order, of things more likely to happen to you than winning a $550 million lottery:

Find out what's happening in Nashuawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Odds of successfully climbing Mount Everest: 1 in 3

Odds of having quadruplets: 1 in 700,000

Odds of being bit by a poisonous snake: 1 in 36 million

Odds of being crushed to death by a vending machine:  1 in 112 million

Odds of dying from being bitten by a dog: 1 in 700,000

Odds that your child is a genius: 1 in 250

Odds of finding a four-leaf clover on the first try: 1 in 10,000

Odds of becoming a movie star:  1 in 1,505,000

Odds of an amateur golfer getting a hole in one: 1 in 5,000

Odds of dying from falling down: 1 in 246


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here