N.Y. woman wins $1 million lottery again Sat Sep 9, 8:54 PM ET
NEW YORK - A woman who won $1 million from a state lottery game four years ago has improbably hit the jackpot again.
Valerie Wilson, who works at a Long Island deli, said she won another $1 million on a lottery scratch-off game last month.
"The first time I couldn't believe it," Wilson told Newsday. "This time I said, 'God's on my side.'"
Wilson, 56, beat some long odds to pull off her double victory.
In 2002, her winning ticket in the Cool Million scratch-off game, which has since been discontinued, was a shot of 1 in 5.2 million, according to the New York State Lottery. Last month, she beat odds of 1 in 705,600 when she got the $1 million prize in the New York lottery's Jubilee scratch-off game.
Overall, her chances of winning both games were a slim 1 in 3,669,120,000,000.
A lottery spokeswoman verified Wilson was a Cool Million winner in 2002, but declined to confirm her latest win until a
2006-09-10 16:43:32 · 16 answers · asked by bittenthedust 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Television
Crazy
2006-09-11 09:17:48 · answer #1 · answered by Beans 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are some statistical fallacies here.
You calculated the odds of winning on two tickets. I suspect she bought more.
Second, if you have ping pong balls numbered 1 to 1,000,000, the odds of drawing the same ball twice are 1 in 1,000,000, not one in 1,000,000,000,000. After the first pick, then you calculate the odds.
This question seems far less implausible:
What is the likelihood that someone in the US who won $1M or more in a lottery win $1M or more a second time?
2006-09-10 16:57:13 · answer #2 · answered by novangelis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends. In some parts of the nation, the odds of winning the lottery more than once are about the same as being shot in a dark alley by three of your closest business associates, or being pulled out of the harbor with a large quantity of hardened hydrolic cement around your ankles.
Of course, this is not to say that the lottery is in any way rigged or fixed. I would never dream of saying anything in any way harmful about the good people who run the lottery. They are the salt of the earth, honest.
2006-09-10 16:54:53 · answer #3 · answered by Sugarface 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is in the article. About 3.67 trillion to 1. That's assuming she only bought only one ticket those 2 times.
If she played many times throughout the years, her odds would still be the same because she's playing a new game every time. She's not eliminating her chances of losing each time.
2006-09-10 17:06:00 · answer #4 · answered by homer simpson 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not 1 in 3,669,120,000,000
Presumably this woman didn't buy only those 2 tickets in 4 years.
Say she bought 100 tickets, then the probability would be only 1 in 36,691,200,000
2006-09-10 16:49:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think she could of had a big chance at winning again. Because now she have more money to buy as many lottery tickets it takes for her to win.
2006-09-10 16:49:08 · answer #6 · answered by goodies100 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well let me see here? you have a better chance of getting bit by a shark and struck by lightening then winning the lottery i would say:1 to 12 billion
2006-09-10 16:46:31 · answer #7 · answered by johani 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They should make a rule, that if you have won a jackpot you can't be eligible to win another for 10 years.
2006-09-10 16:50:28 · answer #8 · answered by cynthetiq 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, pretty amazing, but it's happened before. Makes you wonder about a human's ability for precognition. Hey, maybe we're all "god" -- or getting there.
2006-09-10 16:45:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably easier than winning once.
2006-09-10 16:46:33 · answer #10 · answered by pixles 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋