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If I had a billion dollars… Record jackpot up for grabs again

Posted at 9:55 PM, Jan 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-13 22:47:49-05

Did you know... you are almost three times more likely to get a golden ticket to get into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory than you are to win the Powerball jackpot?

The next drawing is at 10:59 pm ET on Wednesday, with 1.5 billion dollars on the line, and one-time cash payout of 930 million bucks.

It's the highest Powerball drawing in U.S. history.

Experts say the chances of you winning are not good.

"People don't understand how unlikely it is they will win," said John Gabrosek, a statistics professor at GVSU.

To win the grand prize, the ticket must match all five numbers (in any order) along with the Powerball number.

The odds of you snagging all six numbers are  one in 292 million.

"If you stacked pennies all the way to the top of Empire State Building and you drew out one penny, the chance you draw a particular penny is greater than the chance you win the Powerball," Gabrosek said.

According to Gabrosek, you also have a greater chance of:

-Being struck by lightning - one in 960,000
-Being born with 11 fingers or toes - one in 500
-Becoming President of the U.S. - one in 10,000,000
-Getting attacked by a shark - one in 11,500,000
-Get crushed by an asteroid falling from the sky - one in 700,000

"You might say that will never happen to me, but people still think I might win that Powerball," Gabrosek said.

With a jackpot sitting at 1.5 billion, it's well worth a shot.

FOX 17 caught up with some hopeful winners Wednesday night, they told us what they would buy if they won big.

One Comstock Park resident said they'll ditch the snowy Michigan winter if they hit the big Powerball winnings.

"I’m heading somewhere warm," said Jill Brechting.

Aimee and Jason Karasinski talked of a more elaborate plan.

"We would build a family compound, roller skating rinks, indoor, outdoor pools, ice skating rinks," said Aimee.

Although your chances are unlikely, someone has to win eventually. If that's the case, the annualized jackpot for Saturday's drawing will surpass the 2-billion dollar mark, with an estimated cash payout of 1.24 billion, according to CNN.

Test your luck with this Powerball Jackpot game here.