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Math professor: Improving your Powerball odds

Posted at 10:19 PM, Jan 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-12 22:19:20-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- With $1.5 billion on the line, is there anything Hoosiers can do to improve their chances of winning the Powerball?

We asked Rose Hulman Institute of Technology professor of mathematics Dr. John McSweeney for his take on the question.

McSweeney said that, while you're more likely to be struck twice by lightning than to win the Powerball, there are things you can do to at least increase your odds of not sharing a winning prize.

"Try to choose a number that no one else is choosing," he said. "That way, in the unlikely event that you do win, you are not going to have to share the jackpot with anyone else. So try to avoid birthdays, lucky numbers or other numbers you think people are going to choose."

Hoosier Powerball players have hit the jackpot 38 times – more than any other state.

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