Scandal! Corruption! Greed!
I know, I know, it sounds like something an angsty teenager would say losing in a video game. But there are actually some stats that raise some questions. Either it is, in fact, rigged… or what’s happening here is a really… REALLY big coincidence.
Is there a conspiracy theory happening in California? Here’s the stats, according to Barstool Sports. Yesterday’s Powerball was a little over 1.7 BILLION dollars, the 2nd highest Powerball jackpot in history. With that being said, out of the last four biggest Powerball jackpots, 3 have been one individually by a resident of California. The fourth jackpot was won by Tennessee, Florida, and… you guessed it, California.
Maybe just a weird crazy coincidence, though, right? Maybe, but it gets stranger.
In 2022, Californias bought 8% of the total Powerball tickets in America. Big Tennessee from Barstool Sports writes:
So if we can assume those numbers are roughly proportional for just the Powerball, the odds of someone from California winning all four of the largest jackpots in history would be about 0.004 percent — or 1 in 25,000. Your odds of getting struck by lightning are about 1 in 15,000.
Ooof.
What are the odds that even though California residents only buy 8% of the Powerball tickets, every single one of the biggest jackpots in history was won by Californians? California is the state with the highest income tax in the country. What does that mean? More money for California. A lot more.
Is the Powerball rigged? Or just a crazy coincidence?