USS Rankin Lottery Pool #11

USS Rankin (AKA-103)

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ABOUT THE USS RANKIN LOTTERY POOL

We are a group of about 100 people who pool our money to play the multistate Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries. Nobody profits from the pool except the players. A $25 contribution to the pool gets each player 52 chances at a big jackpot, plus other smaller prizes.

Each pool runs for 13 weeks, with four separate drawings each week. Winnings of $10,000 or more, if any, are divided equally among the players in the current pool. Smaller winnings are used to buy extra tickets when the jackpot is very large, and to pay our modest expenses.

Our affairs are conducted openly and in accordance with the detailed rules at the bottom of this page. Winning numbers, the pool's winnings, news, etc. are listed publicly below and on Twitter at USSRankin. The numbers we play and the identities of our players are shared among the players, but are otherwise confidential. At the end of the pool, players receive an accounting of money received, spent, and won.

Most of our players are members of The USS Rankin Association, but we DO seek and admit other players. If you want to play, you can join at any time. If it's too late for the current pool, we'll enroll you in the next one. Just send $25 to USS Rankin Lottery Pool, c/o Skip Sander, 153 Mayer Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15237-1840. Be sure to include your email address and telephone number. Make checks payable to USS Rankin Lottery Pool. Please let us know if you have questions or comments.

Louis "Skip" Sander

USSRankin@aol.com

The information below provides details about the current pool. Information about pools from Pool #1 in November, 2007 to the start of this one, including our winnings and over $1.5 billion in Jackpots won by others, can be found HERE.

RESULTS – MEGA MILLIONS AND POWERBALL LOTTERIES

#	MM or PB	Day	Date	Jackpot Annuity Value*	Number of Tickets Bought	Number of Players	Cash Value of 1 Share After Taxes **	Winning Numbers (Powerball and Mega Ball in Red)						Our Pool's Winnings *******	Our Pool's Winnings To Date *******
1	MM	Tue	05/04/10	$226,000,000	46	84	$1,275,000	9	21	31	36	43	8	$152.00	$152.00
2	PB	Wed	05/05/10	$60,000,000	78	85	$229,000	13	34	40	47	57	11	$25.00	$177.00
3	MM	Fri	05/07/10	$12,000,000	10	87	$58,000	2	7	20	34	50	40	$0.00	$177.00
4	PB	Sat	05/08/10	$80,000,000	78	87	$302,000	5	22	34	41	57	31	$6.00	$183.00
5	MM	Tue	05/11/10	$19,000,000	15	91	$84,000	26	33	43	46	54	9	$0.00	$183.00
6	PB	Wed	05/12/10	$97,000,000	78	91	$352,000	37	51	52	53	58	38	$7.00	$190.00
7	MM	Fri	05/14/10	$31,000,000	25	102	$124,000	20	21	40	47	56	12	$2.00	$192.00
8	PB	Sat	05/15/10	$120,000,000	78	103	$386,000	15	21	23	28	36	20	$6.00	$198.00
9	MM	Tue	05/18/10	$42,000,000	25	103	$168,000	11	13	19	37	40	26	$3.00	$201.00
10	PB	Wed	05/19/10	$145,000,000	78	103	$450,000	2	7	29	55	58	27	$6.00	$207.00
11	MM	Fri	05/21/10	$54,000,000	27	104	$214,000	15	20	23	26	30	17	$0.00	$207.00
12	PB	Sat	05/22/10	$170,000,000	78	104	$534,000	19	20	40	47	57	29	$7.00	$214.00
13	MM	Tue	05/25/10	$64,000,000	27	104	$261,000	5	14	17	19	24	25	$0.00	$214.00
14	PB	Wed	05/26/10	$190,000,000	78	104	$618,000	1	6	10	13	20	32	$7.00	$221.00
15	MM	Fri	05/28/10	$12,000,000	27	104	$48,000	3	11	20	29	39	26	$2.00	$223.00
16	PB	Sat	05/29/10	$220,000,000	78+20	104	$716,000	1	3	24	28	41	10	$16.00	$239.00
17	MM	Tue	06/01/10	$12,000,000	27	104	$48,000	12	27	44	45	51	30	$2.00	$241.00
18	PB	Wed	06/02/10	$260,000,000	78+60	105	$838,000	4	9	14	39	43	38	$10.00	$251.00
19	MM	Fri	06/04/10	$17,000,000	27	105	$68,000	12	13	15	17	50	23	$7.00	$258.00
20	PB	Sat	06/05/10	$20,000,000	78	105	$63,000	18	34	40	48	59	25	$7.00	$265.00
21	MM	Tue	06/08/10	$26,000,000	27	105	$104,000	12	18	28	48	54	6	$11.00	$276.00
22	PB	Wed	06/09/10	$28,000,000	78	105	$91,000	14	22	27	32	49	5	$6.00	$282.00
23	MM	Fri	06/11/10	$36,000,000	27	106	$145,000	6	13	33	34	42	25	$0.00	$282.00
24	PB	Sat	06/12/10	$44,000,000	78	106	$143,000	9	12	13	35	38	30	$6.00	$288.00
25	MM	Tue	06/15/10	$12,000,000	27	106	$47,000	4	12	13	21	27	46	$9.00	$297.00
26	PB	Wed	06/16/10	$60,000,000	78	106	$190,000	8	11	18	29	36	6	$7.00	$304.00
27	MM	Fri	06/18/10	$17,000,000	27	106	$67,000	11	36	37	41	55	7	$5.00	$309.00
28	PB	Sat	06/19/10	$78,000,000	78	106	$247,000	9	30	31	50	54	39	$15.00	$324.00
29	MM	Tue	06/22/10	$26,000,000	27	106	$103,000	12	17	21	23	30	24	$13.00	$337.00
30	PB	Wed	06/23/10	$97,000,000	78	106	$307,000	11	30	45	47	48	10	$6.00	$343.00
31	MM	Fri	06/25/10	$12,000,000	27	106	$47,000	1	2	13	19	27	21	$3.00	$346.00
32	PB	Sat	06/26/10	$20,000,000	78	106	$63,000	13	30	32	38	57	25	$7.00	$353.00
33	MM	Tue	06/29/10	$16,000,000	27	106	$63,000	3	4	15	27	37	35	$2.00	$355.00
34	PB	Wed	06/30/10	$27,000,000	78	106	$86,000	6	38	43	47	48	27	$8.00	$363.00
35	MM	Fri	07/02/10	$25,000,000	27	106	$100,000	1	10	12	32	36	25	$0.00	$363.00
36	PB	Sat	07/03/10	$41,000,000	78	106	$131,000	3	10	14	52	53	3	$6.00	$369.00
37	MM	Tue	07/06/10	$34,000,000	27	106	$137,000	8	18	45	47	50	36	$0.00	$369.00
37	PB	Wed	07/07/10	$54,000,000	78	106	$177,000	10	41	44	48	56	4	$13.00	$382.00
39	MM	Fri	07/09/10	$43,000,000	50	106	$173,000	1	31	33	34	50	41	$0.00	$382.00
40	PB	Sat	07/10/10	$72,000,000	78	106	$237,000	20	21	27	28	56	4	$6.00	$388.00
41	MM	Tue	07/13/10	$52,000,000	50	106	$208,000	7	11	14	15	34	14	$2.00	$390.00
42	PB	Wed	07/14/10	$20,000,000	78	106	$64,000	20	21	23	38	42	6	$7.00	$397.00
43	MM	Fri	07/16/10	$64,000,000	50	106	$255,000	2	15	18	20	39	34	$2.00	$399.00
44	PB	Sat	07/17/10	$27,000,000	78	106	$88,000	22	27	35	37	45	3	$10.00	$409.00
45	MM	Tue	07/20/10	$12,000,000	50	106	$48,000	12	18	28	36	43	19	$0.00	$409.00
46	PB	Wed	07/21/10	$37,000,000	78	106	$123,000	16	22	30	51	58	25	$6.00	$415.00
47	MM	Fri	07/23/10	$16,000,000	50	107	$63,000	16	19	39	44	49	26	$3.00	$418.00
48	PB	Sat	07/24/10	$52,000,000	78	107	$170,000	20	30	38	46	59	27	$13.00	$431.00
49	MM	Tue	07/27/10	$24,000,000	50	107	$95,000	2	7	10	16	29	8	$2.00	$433.00
50	PB	Wed	07/28/10	$67,000,000	78	107	$218,000	1	11	20	25	27	2	$14.00	$447.00
51	MM	Fri	07/30/10	$33,000,000	27	107	$127,000
52	PB	Sat	07/31/10	$85,000,000	78+29	107	$275,000

* Jackpot amounts shown in white are estimated annuity values, paid out over 30 years. Jackpots actually won, if any, are shown in gold. (Sooner or later, somebody does win.) If a Jackpot was taken in cash, the amount is shown to the nearest dollar. Otherwise, it is an estimated annuity value, rounded to the nearest million.

** "Cash Value of 1 Share After Taxes" is the estimated after tax winnings of each pool member if we take our winnings in cash. (Most Jackpot winners do that, and we probably will, too.) For the lowest possible jackpot of $12,000,000 estimated annuity value and $7,500,000 cash value, if we have 85 players, each should get about $57,000 cash after 35% federal income taxes. If our pool had won the $139,421,731 cash jackpot of 3/15/08, each player's after-tax share would have been about $1,615,000. NOTE: If the winning ticket is an "extra ticket" (see below), the value of a share can be significantly smaller or somewhat larger than the number shown here, depending on how many pools each player has participated in.

*** The amounts shown here are believed to be accurate, but are for informational purposes only. Actual winnings will be known when tickets are redeemed at the end of the pool.

RULES & PROCEDURES OF USS RANKIN LOTTERY POOL #11

By contributing to the pool, players agree that it will be conducted according to these rules and procedures. If you disagree with anything in here, please let Skip Sander know so he can try to fix things. If he can't, you agree that any unresolved disputes or disagreements will be settled forever by the return of your contribution to the pool.

Not Part of the Association

This pool is NOT an activity of The USS Rankin Association (hereafter The Association). It is exclusively conducted by and for those contributing to the pool.

Participants in the Pool

Participation is open to anyone, but Pennsylvania law limits lottery participation to people 18 years of age or older. A person becomes a participant in the pool when his or her contribution is deposited in the pool's bank account. If the pool wins a large prize before your money has been deposited, you will NOT have a share in the winnings. As a participant, you have a claim to a share of the pool's winnings, based on the amount of your contribution (but see Extra Tickets below for an exception). No player has any larger claim because some or all of his suggested numbers were used on one or more tickets, or for any other reason.

Skip Sander in Charge

The pool is conducted by Skip Sander, who endeavors to operate it in an honest and transparent way, and who has a record of doing so since Pool #1 in 2007. Players agree to abide by his decisions and to hold him harmless for any action or inaction in connection with the pool. Players agree that any and all disputes between a player and Skip Sander, the pool, or other players, will be settled forever and in full by the refund of their contribution. In spite of the above, players and Skip Sander agree that any dispute involving ten or more players, or any prize in excess of $150,000, will be settled by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association.

Bank Account

The USS Rankin Lottery Pool has a checking account at the Perry Branch of Citizens Bank in Pittsburgh, for the sole purpose of holding contributions to and winnings from the USS Rankin Lottery Pools, and for paying expenses of the pool. During a pool, this account typically holds $100-$300 or so. Any player can see the records of the account upon written request to Skip Sander.

Picking Numbers

The pool participates in the multistate Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries, and occasionally in others. Skip Sander will pick numbers and lotteries as he sees fit, possibly including "Quick Picks" by the lottery machine, or numbers suggested by participants. As much as is practical, the same numbers will be played for every drawing in a pool.

Collecting Money

$25 contributions to the pool can be made to USS Rankin Lottery Pool, c/o Skip Sander, 153 Mayer Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15237-1840. Make checks payable to USS Rankin Lottery Pool.

Pools run for three months, usually beginning with the first Powerball or Mega Millions drawing of a month. Money will be collected until the mail delivery on the day of the first drawing, and deposited before the drawing. Contributions received after the deadline will be handled at the sole discretion of Skip Sander. So far, he has always accommodated them to everyone's satisfaction.

Chances of Winning a Prize

The chance of winning a Powerball jackpot is about one in 146 million. The chance for a Mega Ball jackpot is about one in 176 million. In other words, the chance of winning a jackpot is nearly zero. (Nevertheless, SOMEBODY wins sooner or later, and with 80 tickets, OUR chance of winning jumps up to one in about two million. To put this in perspective, it is estimated that the chance of being struck by lightning is one in 700,000.) Your primary reason for participating in this pool should be the fun that you and others have by participating. But just imagine, in the unlikely event that we win a Jackpot, there will be a LOT of smiling faces in the picture of all those people holding the giant check!

The chance of winning a prize other than the Jackpot is about 1 in 36. If a ticket matches the Powerball, it wins at least $3. If it matches the Mega Ball, it wins at least $2. Because we buy tickets covering all possible Powerball numbers and several Mega Ball numbers, we win something in every drawing. That's no big deal, but it CAN give you the feeling of luck or accomplishment. It is also the reason that players get 26 tickets for only $25 -- the extra week's tickets are paid for out of our guaranteed winnings.

Buying and Handling Tickets

Tickets will be bought at the sole discretion of Skip Sander. To minimize complexity, confusion, and chance for error, he endeavors to buy tickets for all drawings at one time.

He also endeavors to balance the numbers played, number of players, and number of tickets bought to insure that the pool "breaks even" over its life. An explanation follows:

A pool "breaks even" if the cost of buying its tickets is paid for by player contributions plus the winnings of the pool from all the drawings in its lifetime.

Imagine an 80-ticket pool that chooses its numbers so that it has two tickets for every possible Powerball number 1 to 39, plus two additional tickets. Therefore, whatever Powerball number comes up in any drawing, at least two of that pool's tickets will match it. Matching the Powerball wins $3, so the pool is guaranteed to win at least $6 in each drawing, or $156 over the 26 drawings in the life of the pool.

Because of these guaranteed winnings, the 80-ticket pool is guaranteed to break even with only 77 players. Here's why: It costs $2,080 to buy 80 tickets for 26 drawings. They are guaranteed to win at least $156 over the life of the pool. The pool breaks even because the $2,080 cost of its tickets will be more than paid for by the 77 x $25 = $1,925 in player contributions, plus its $156 in guaranteed winnings. ($1,925 + $156 = $2,081)

Depending on its winnings, an 80-ticket pool can break even with fewer players: Pool #8, which won a total of $313, would have broken even with 72 players (72 x $25 = $1,800. $1,800 + $313 = $2,113, which is more than the $2,080 cost of 80 tickets).

When a ticket is bought for the pool, Skip Sander marks its back with his signature and a rubber stamp of the USS Rankin Association's address, and its front with the number of the playslip it corresponds to. From time to time he also buys lottery tickets for himself and other people. Such tickets will NOT have the USS Rankin stamp or playslip number, and will be marked in a way to clearly differentiate them from tickets belonging to the pool.

Skip Sander puts all tickets into a safe as soon as they are bought. Winning tickets are surrendered to lottery representatives when they are redeemed. Unredeemed tickets are kept in the safe for one year after the drawing to which they correspond.

A pool's cash is only very briefly exposed to loss or theft. Checks (and occasionally small amounts of cash) from players are deposited into the Pool's bank account, either at a branch bank or an ATM. When tickets are to be bought, a cash withdrawal is made via a teller at a branch in a Giant Eagle supermarket. The cash is immediately used to buy tickets at a Lottery Terminal in the same Giant Eagle store, usually about 10-50 steps away from the branch. The maximum amount of cash exposed at one time is about $2,000, and it is exposed for only a few minutes.

Extra Tickets

When the jackpot is large, or when there is a drawing for which a specific USS Rankin Lottery Pool does not have tickets, Skip Sander may, at his sole discretion, buy one or more "extra tickets" for the pool, using money from past winnings. Purchase of these tickets will be noted in the Tickets Bought/Number of Players column on the USS Rankin web site. If an "extra ticket" wins $10,000 or more, the proceeds will be distributed to every person who has ever participated in one of our lottery pools, in proportion to that person's total contribution to all the pools. That means that anybody who has ever participated shares in the wealth.

Informing the Players

During the pool, Skip Sander will send each player, by email or postal mail, a list of all the players, including their names and contact information, plus a list of all numbers being played, plus a copy of these rules and procedures.

He will also endeavor to keep players informed by posting information on Twitter at ussrankin, and on the USS Rankin web site at www.ussrankin.org/lottery.htm, and by sending periodic emails to players whose email addresses are known to him.

At the end of the pool, he will send each player, by email or postal mail, a written accounting of money received, spent, and won during the pool.

What if a ticket wins?

These lotteries offer several ways to win between $2 and $150. If a ticket wins one of these prizes, the ticket will be held until the end of the pool, then redeemed. The winnings, if any, will be deposited into the lottery pool's bank account. A pool typically wins $100-$300 of these prizes during its life.

There are also ways of winning $10,000 to $250,000. If a ticket wins one of these prizes, the participants in the pool will be notified promptly, the ticket will be redeemed, and the winnings will be distributed equally among the participants.

If one of the pool's tickets wins a multimillion dollar jackpot, the money will be distributed equally among the participants under the conditions described below.

Skip Sander likes to encourage ticket sellers to wish us luck. He does so by promising them the car of their choice, within reason, if one of the tickets hits the jackpot. Players agree to contribute up to $1,000 each toward that purpose.

If the pool wins a jackpot, Skip Sander will hold the winning ticket until the following steps are completed:

Copies of checks for all deposits to the pool are retrieved from Citizens Bank, to confirm the identities of all players in the pool.

Players are notified by telephone. Players not reachable by telephone are notified by Certified Mail.

If The USS Rankin Association is a participant in the pool, its Executive Board designates a person to represent its interests and to act on its behalf.

The pool participants engage a qualified and experienced financial advisor agreeable to them all. The purpose of the financial advisor is to advise the group about taking the winnings in cash or in the annuity offered by the lottery, and to perform other tasks normally associated with financial advisors.

The pool participants engage a Certified Public Accountant agreeable to them all. The purpose of the CPA is to determine the amounts to be distributed, to distribute the money, to make necessary tax filings, and to perform other tasks normally associated with CPAs.

The pool participants engage an attorney agreeable to them all. The purpose of the attorney is to provide legal advice and to perform other tasks normally associated with attorneys.

In the event that the pool participants do not agree on a person or persons to fill the above four roles within 30 days of receiving notification of their winning status, or in any event within 45 days of the drawing of the winning ticket, Skip Sander will act as The USS Rankin Association's representative and will engage the financial advisor, CPA, and attorney.

When the above steps have been completed, or before that, if in his judgment it is in the best interests of the winners, Skip Sander will release the winning ticket to the appropriate lottery officials.

NOTES AND UPDATES

We post notes about this pool and other USS Rankin matters on Twitter. You should be able to see them HERE. You can see them on a regular basis by following USSRankin at Twitter.

You can see the official Pennsylvania Lottery site HERE

You can see the official Mega Millions site HERE

You can see the official Powerball site HERE

You can get a list of Powerball jackpots and winners HERE

You can get winning Powerball numbers emailed to you HERE

Click Here for a Powerball Payout Worksheet

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