Taking a Chance and Not Taking a Chance During the Pandemic

Odds are you’ve heard about the size of the Powerball lottery jackpot this weekend.

While there was a ticket sold in San Diego in Wednesday night’s drawing that had 5 of the first five numbers and means someone won 2.7 million dollars, there was no ticket sold here or anywhere else in the country that had 5 numbers and the Powerball number. So, when the drawing takes place this weekend the jackpot will be about 640-million dollars, with the winner having to settle for a lump sum cash value of 478-million dollars.

So, chances are a lot more people than usual will be buying a ticket or two or three for Saturday night’s drawing. Of course, your chance of actually getting all six numbers and winning the jackpot are calculated by lottery officials as being one in 293 million!

But with it being the largest Powerball jackpot since March of 2019, which was one year before the start of the pandemic shutdowns and the beginning of the worst economic downturn since the great depression, even with a tiny, miniscule chance of winning, there are plenty of pandemic-weary people spending a few bucks on a few lottery tickets.

For nearly a year now, we’ve all been living with a chance of becoming infected with the coronavirus, some taking more chances than others.

And we’re all now betting that with the arrival of the vaccines and the vaccinations underway, the odds of us getting the virus will be drastically reduced in the coming weeks and months.

But now is still not the time to take a chance on not following the safety guidelines and not risking your health or someone else’s.

(Photo Getty Images)