Anomaly in the Lottery Universe happened Friday 5/15...

Let's admit it. Secretly down inside we have all thought it would be fantastic to win a big payday by casually plunking down a dollar or two on a lottery ticket. We all know the odds are extremely long. We are all aware of the moral issues and wise counsel against becoming ensnared in gambling. Yet still it would be extremely enjoyable to have a windfall that could pay off debt, provide for a fantastic family trip, add a new car to the garage, and in general take the edge off of the pressures of grinding out a living and/or socking away money for retirement.

I live in a state that is only one of two in the USA to have no form of legalized gambling whatsoever, yet I'm still drawn to the stories of lottery winners. I think it's fun to follow the two big lotteries - especially when the jackpots get really big. There is a web site that provides information on both big lotteries -- the Powerball lottery, and the Mega Millions lottery-- all in one place, and I happen upon this site, usamega.com, a few times a month to get a quick picture of when the lottery jackpots are getting big and to sometimes read the stories of the big payout winners.

Both of these big conglomerate lotteries have a total of 6 numbers that if matched exactly will produce a jackpot winner -- five numbers from a big set (something like 1 to 56 or thereabouts), plus a Mega number or Power number from a different set of lottery balls (something like 1 -52 or thereabouts).

Because the odds are so ridiculous that you'd ever actually match the first five numbers, AND match the Mega or Power number -- the jackpot amounts grow and grow and grow until literally by pure and outrageous chance, all the numbers match someone's lucky ticket, or when the masses of tickets purchased is so enormous, from time to time there are a few tickets that have all six numbers matching -- but usually no more than 2 or 3 out of the gazillions purchased.

Even if the Jackpot isn't won, there are 'winners' every week -- people who match a portion of the number set get a payout larger than the dollar it took to buy their set of numbers. The payouts relationship is based on how long the odds are that any one ticket would match the particular set of numbers. For example, if you have a ticket with 5 numbers plus the Mega or Power number, and none of your 5 numbers were selected by the lottery ping pong ball vacuum, but your Mega or Power number is selected, you'd win $2 (at least in the Mega Millions Lottery).

The odds of having only your Mega Number get sucked up by the ping pong ball vacuum, according to the usamega.com site, are 1 in 75. That's a little like you sitting with your entire 5th grade during an assembly, with perhaps 6 or 7 kids absent in a day, and of everyone left, in a random drawing of possible 5th grade participants you, yes you get to be the lucky kid who comes up in front of everyone to pin a corsage on the giant woman of a librarian who is retiring after 39 years of wonderful service. What are the odds of that? Like, 1 in 75 or something? Yes.

Well, it just so happens that the odds of actually matching the first 5 lottery numbers in the Mega Millions lottery are 1 in 3,904,701. And someone who miraculously does this in fact wins a life changing amount of money -- $250,000. Even if taxes are taken out, you'd still be left with a chunk of money big enough to have various and sundry people you know well, or barely know at all, ask you for a hand out - and/or perhaps do those things I talked about earlier - pay off debt, buy a car, go on a trip, sock something away for retirement, etc.

As I've followed these lotteries periodically for a number of years, I've noticed that when there isn't a jackpot winner, the number of $250,000 winners naturally grows as the jackpot grows and more and more people buy tickets. That's what you'd expect to happen, after all.

But try this on for weird. The Mega Millions Lottery, on Friday May 15th, during a time when the jackpot was realtively small ($38 Million dollars -- small by comparison of just a week or so ago when it was up to closer to $225 Million dollars) had an inordinate number of $250,000 winners. Before I tell you the number, to set the stage, in the drawing before May 15th, when the jackpot was $28 Million dollars there were 4 lucky tickets that matched the first 5 numbers. The drawing before that, when the jackpot was $17 Million dollars, had 3 tickets match the first 5 numbers - and same with the drawing before that, when the jackpot was at its starting point ($12 Million)-- only 3 tickets matched the first 5 numbers.

Friday, May 15th there were THIRTY SIX (36) tickets that matched the first 5 numbers. So, what number combination do you now NEVER want to play because an entire black hole of luck sucking energy was applied to them? The first 5 numbers were 7, 12, 24, 36, 48 and there were even TWO tickets that matched the mega number as well (which was 27, if you're keeping score at home). So, two tickets split what's left over after 34 tickets get paid $250,000. Yes, a huge amount of money to be sure, but what in tarnation happened in the luck universe that allowed this to happen? Perhaps there has been a rip in the luck universe somewhere, and luck will now start pouring out in golden buckets? I know it did on Friday. Perhaps it's time to go buy lottery tickets and cash in on the gusher?

All I can say is, if you do, I hope you have fantastic luck and best wishes to you!