CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Lottery enthusiasts are lining up to buy Powerball tickets with the hopes of winning the $310 million drawing on Saturday.
Dr. Harold Reiter, a professor of mathematics at UNC Charlotte, talked with NewsChannel 36 about the frenzy around Powerball ticket sales, the chances of actually winning and the best numbers to pick.
Reiter says a lot of people demonstrate rational behavior when it comes to high Powerball prizes and the increase sales of lottery tickets.
"When you have $310 million at stake the prize is so big it's worth the risk," Reiter said. "Mathematicians use the term 'expected value' to rate the quality of size and expected payout of the bet."
Reiter said someone would have to buy a large amount of tickets to even have a strong chance of winning the Powerball.
"You have to buy a huge number of tickets to have a good chance of winning the Powerball," he said. "If you had 100 tickets, you have 100 times the chance of winning then if you just buy one. But, on the other hand, 100 times something very close to zero is still -- very close to zero."
Having the opportunity to pick the Powerball number is a big part of why people play, too. Many use a lucky number, their birth date or the age of their children.
"Many people like to pick birth dates or anniversaries that they think are special and they often use them," Reiter said. "But numbers 1 through 30 often get picked more then numbers 31 through 59.
"My advice would be to pick your numbers in the range from 31 through 59, so you'll be much less likely to share your prize with someone else."
