WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It seems those holding out hope of winning the $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot have a better chance of being attacked by a shark or an alligator.
That's according to a series of statistical data from various media, academic and government entities.
Saturday night's Powerball jackpot has surged to $1.6 billion, marking the fifth time a U.S. lottery prize has reached 10 digits since the first billion-dollar prize was announced in 2016, according to CNBC.
That's not by accident, according to Victor Matheson, an economics professor at the College of the Holy Cross.
Matheson told CNBC that the odds of winning the Powerball lottery increased to one in 292.2 million since more number combinations were added in 2015. Matheson said, essentially, Powerball has "gradually been making it harder and harder to win."
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By comparison, people have a one in 4.3 million chance of being killed by a shark, according to data compiled by the University of Florida.
A fact sheet from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission dated earlier this year states that the likelihood of a Florida resident being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator incident is about one in 3.1 million.
Sure, the odds are long, but they're better than winning the Powerball.
To quote Bill Murray's Carl Spackler from the 1980 comedy classic "Caddyshack:" "So I've got that going for me, which is nice."
