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A Snowball's Chance In...

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A customer smiles after receiving a free Mega Millions Lottery ticket from the Hoosier Lottery's Mega Millions mascot at a store in Zionsville, Ind. (AP)
A customer smiles after receiving a free Mega Millions Lottery ticket from the Hoosier Lottery's Mega Millions mascot at a store in Zionsville, Ind. (AP)

Here's a depressing Tweet about your chances of winning the Mega Millions.

"If you drive more than a mile to buy a MegaMillions lottery ticket, you are way more likely to die in a car accident than win. Way more."

Thanks for reminding us ‏@NCMattJ!

As CBS News puts it:

The odds are roughly 1 in 175 million, which — we’re just guessing — are also your odds of being struck by lightning while wearing plaid swim trunks once owned by your grandmother.

Jordan Ellenberg, University of Wisconsin Professor says that buying a few more tickets isn't going to help much, but if you bought 500 million tickets you'd probably win.

The jackpot in the country's biggest-ever lottery is now up to $640 million, and tickets are being sold in 42 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Guest:

  • Jordan Ellenberg, University of Wisconsin Professor, author of the upcoming "How Not To Be Wrong"

This segment aired on March 30, 2012.

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