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With much higher chances of being hit by a falling coconut, Utahns still catching ‘lottery fever’

Posted at 11:09 PM, Oct 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-24 01:09:45-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah may not have the lottery, but it doesn’t mean some Utahns have not caught lottery fever.

The numbers from Tuesday night's drawing for $1.6 billion are 5-28-62-65-70-5.

“That slim chance that it might be your ticket, is always the best,” Nicole Davis said from a convenience store in Malad, Idaho. Less than 30 miles north of Utah’s border, Malad is often a hot spot when the Mega-Millions or Powerball jackpots climb.

“Its 1.6 billion dollars and why not?” asked Ting Lenanarton, another person buying tickets.

The odds of winning are long, roughly 1 in 303 million. To put that in perspective, consider some comparable odds published in a recent Motley Fool article.

The odds of being killed by a falling asteroid, 1 in 75 million.

The odds of having identical quadruplets, 1 in 15 million

The odds of being killed by a falling coconut, 1 in 50.7 million.

All the same, many can’t resist the temptation at a chance to be instantly rich.

“Here’s the thing, if I’m going to sit at home and watch somebody win a billion dollars and me I’m saying, 'lucky guy,' why can’t I try to be lucky too,” Sal Feliciano said.