Odds are stacked against Powerball players

You’ve heard about the enormous Powerball jackpot – a number so big that it doesn’t even fit on the signs by the side of the highway anymore.

While not everyone is playing – “it’s never been a big thing for me,” said Allison Robertson – judging by the lines at Powerball retailers you might think that everyone is playing.

It’s likely that you know how big the Powerball jackpot is, but do you know how small your odds of winning are? We went to downtown Colorado Springs to find out.

One guess from Shirley Cihura was common: “I’d say millions to one,” she said.

To get the actual answer, we turned to a math teacher.

“Eight zeroes followed by a three. So 0.000000003% chance of you winning the jackpot,” said Nicholas Salas of Falcon High School.

It turns out the the odds of being killed by lightning are much better.

“I’d say about a million to one,” said Cihura.

Close, those odds are actually one in about 1.2 million in a given year.

What about tornadoes?

Marie-Claude Hansen wanted no part of that question.

“I moved here not too long ago and there (are) too many tornadoes for my liking,” she said.

Those are the type of odds that people don’t like to think about. Salas thinks he knows why.

“When you get struck by lightning, you don’t get money,” he said.

Speaking of odds, there is a way to guarantee a win Wednesday, but you have to spend a little to get a little.

“You would have to purchase about $584 million worth of tickets to guarantee yourself the jackpot.”

But even tiny odds can’t stop people from dreaming big.

Hansen said, “I would take care of my family and good friends, make sure they’re OK.”

Craig Fennig wanted to give back too. He said, “I would make plans and go around the world and do good deeds.”

Because there is a chance that someone will be a billionaire on Wednesday night – even if it is very small.

There was a $50,000 winner from Saturday’s drawing in Colorado Springs.

The ticket was bought at a King Soopers on Unitah.