I can always tell when the Lottery Jackpots are starting to get up there in potential winnings because I will hear it discussed a lot in Buzzy’s Country Store. Currently, both the Mega Millions and Powerball are attracting attention because their jackpots are growing significantly.
Last night’s Powerball did not have a winner, so its jackpot is now up to $455 million. Powerball is drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mega Millions’ jackpot is up to $345 million and is drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays. A ticket to play either of the lotteries is $2.
Lotteries are often called a voluntary tax on poor folks because most of the lottery players are those who have lower incomes (click here for story and stats.) Studies have shown that lotteries have to hit a certain threshold before higher income earners will start to play. For instance, the Powerball jackpot has to be around $800 million to go from being a regressive to a progressive tax (click here.)
If you prefer to keep your gambling at the local level, we have the Ridge American Legion sponsoring their Queen of Hearts fundraiser every Friday night for St. Michael’s School.
Since the Queen continues to go unselected, the jackpot has grown, and so too has attendance at the event. The 50-50 Raffle conducted during the event is now up to several hundred dollars for the winner. If you want to play though, you need to go early to do so because it is standing room only.
The following is not one of my favorite of songs but it seems appropriate and the video isn’t bad so why not?