Three People Win $448 Million Lottery Jackpot, Fourth-Highest Ever

Last night, three lottery-ticket-purchasers won the lottery, sharing a total jackpot of $448 million. Two of the winners are from New Jersey, one is from Minnesota.

This is the fourth highest jackpot ever; the highest jackpot in U.S. history amounted to $656 million in March 2012. The four highest jackpots for Powerball have occurred since the January 2012 changes that boosted ticket prices from $1 to $2, in a move to raise revenue as well as increasing the potential payout. There is some concern about "lottery fatigue," as people become less interested in smaller winnings, which they are also unlikely to win.

In any case all this stuff is very unlikely. Here is a list of wild things that news organizations say are more likely than winning the Powerball:

The winning numbers were a series of numbers as likely as any other set of numbers. The Powerball lottery is played in 43 states as well as D.C. as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2.

[image via AP]