If you want to see how unlikely you are to win the lottery even under the best of situations, try this simulator. You can’t win if you don’t play! (or even if you do play) I never understood the lottery. The odds that you’ll have a terrible car accident on the way home from work are fantastic, compared to the chances that you’ll win the lottery. And yet, lottery players still drive home. But they’re willing to waste thousands of dollars on a tiny tiny minute chance that they might possibly win the lottery…but almost certainly won’t.