Powerball: 5 wildly rare occurrences that are more common than winning the jackpot
(KGET) – It should come as no surprise that the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are quite slim at roughly 1 in 292.2 million. But don't fret, because you still have better chances of achieving similarly exceptional accomplishments, like hitting a hole-in-one, meeting the president, or … being struck by lightning?
Shocking, we know.
As the experts explain, there are several wildly unlikely occurrences that are still more common than picking the winning Powerball numbers. And most — aside from being zapped by a lightning bolt — seem downright delightful.
Getting struck by lightning
Let's get this one out of the way: According to the National Weather Service, you have a 1 in 15,300 chance of being struck by lightning, meaning you have a better chance at the lightning lotto than Powerball. In fact, the NWS reports that the U.S. averaged 43 reported lightning fatalities per year from 1989 to 2018.
The odds of being struck also depend on where you live and what activities you're participating in. Occurrences are more common in Texas and Florida, especially among folks partaking in recreational or work-related outdoor activities, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
Getting a hole-in-one
If you're a fan of golf, this one is especially exciting.
The odds of the average golfer making a hole-in-one are about 12,000 to 1, according to the National Hole-in-One Registry. The registry also reported that a hole-in-one is scored once every 3,500 golf rounds — and it's something only 1-2% of golfers achieve each year.
Finding a pearl in an oyster
It seems rare, but it's actually more common than winning the jackpot.
Matthew Gray, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, told CNN via email in 2018 that finding a pearl in an oyster is “estimated to be something like 1/10,000."
However, Gray also said that number is "generous." But even if the actual odds of finding a pearl were 10,000 times worse than generally believed, picking all six winning Powerball numbers would still be less likely than finding a pearl in your plate of oysters.
In 2018, a diner at an oyster bar in NYC also found a pearl valued at somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000, Nexstar's WPIX reported — so it's not a bad payday, either.
Finding a four-leaf clover
Maybe you won't match those winning numbers, but you could end up with a four-leaf clover in hand.
According to Yahoo, a 2017 analysis of 5.7 million clovers over six countries suggests your chances of finding one are 1 in 5,000. In case you're feeling especially lucky, the chances of finding a five-leaf clover are 1 in 24,000, according to the same study.
Shaking the hand of the president
Feeling patriotic? Shaking the hand of the president of the United States is, in fact, found to be more common than winning the Powerball jackpot.
About 1 in 5,000 Americans every year shake the president's hand, according to a Washington insider who spoke to Business Insider in 2011. Another fun fact: The outlet reported that the president shakes about 65,000 hands a year.
The next Powerball drawing will be held Wednesday, July 19 at 10:59 p.m. ET.