Lottery officials announced that the most recent Powerball Jackpot had reached a record $600 million. How much higher it will go is hard to say, but it is unlikely to top the record MegaMillions jackpot of $656 million from March 2012. Powerball’s last big record came last November. It hit $585.6 million and had lotto nuts in a fever. Maybe that’s why it’s called lotto fever?

Why so soon? It seems to have been the year for record jackpots. The answer lies on the west coast of the United States. California joined the lotto collective of states and the big ball hasn’t stopped rolling. Its sales last Wednesday topped $8.7 million, second only to New York. New York estimates that by Saturday evening it would have been selling 600,000 tickets an hour. The odds are still the same, 1 in 175 million (175,223,510 to be exact). Bottom line: Bigger jackpots do not increase your odds of winning. Still we buy the ticket, because you never know.

This is the one case where history can and probably will repeat itself. No one from Maine has ever won the Powerball Jackpot. People in Mainehave won their fair share of money, just not the big one. The lump sum payout for Wednesday would be around $376 million. And that’s pretax dollars. Winning $600 million and walking away with $246 million still ain’t a bad deal.  

When lottery officials announced that the cost of a single ticket was increasing form $1 to $2, they promised bigger jackpots and higher starting jackpots ($20 to $40 million). Well, they got their wish. At $2 a ticket it won’t long before Powerball will leave MegaMillions in the dust.

And if no one matches five numbers and the Powerball, get ready. The jackpot will soar to a record of records, $925 million. You think it’s crazy now? Watch what happens when a billion dollars is on the line. Office pools will go bonkers and the mortgage payment and the kids college fund will burn up with fever, but the odds are still 1 in 175 million.  With around 30 million people playing, the odds are pretty good one if not two people will hit the jackpot. And lottery officials said only about half the possible number combination have been sold.

The Christian Science Monitor said that the revenue lotteries are making causes the states to entice people to gamble who have never gambled before. The money they make will only lead to more legal online gaming as they look for ways to increase their share and their tax revenue. All that money and here’s a bummer. If you work for the lottery, you are ineligible to play.

 With increased jackpots comes of course increased scams. Be wary of emails and phone calls where you are asked to help someone claim their winnings. Never, ever, ever give out your bank account information or your mother’s maiden name to anyone who might ask for it. The Web is rife with unscrupulous people who would think nothing of making you an easy mark.

 It’s a lot of money and it will make you dream of riches and freedom. If you do happen to win, sign the back of the ticket immediately. Don’t tell anyone and get a lawyer to help you. You have to admit $600 million is worth a $2 investment. And remember, records are made to be broken. There’ll be another chance.