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11 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot

Even though you know the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot aren't good, you probably bought a ticket (or a few dozen of them) anyway.

But just how bad are the odds of any single ticket winning the big prize? 1 in 175,223,510, to be precise -- less than the odds of someone becoming president of the United States or being born with an extra finger or toe.

Here are 11 things -- some good, some not so good -- more likely to happen than your numbers coming up gold:

1. The next time you rush across the street as the light is about to change, keep in mind it's much likelier you'll die as a pedestrian than win the jackpot: 1 in 701, according to the National Safety Council. 

A U.S. flag waves in the wind as pedestrians cross the street in Newark, N.J.
A U.S. flag waves in the wind as pedestrians cross the street in Newark, N.J.Julio Cortez / AP

2. Think your perfect 3-point shot makes you a shoo-in for the Dallas Mavericks? The odds of being drafted to play in the NBA after college if you're a high school senior basketball player are a slim 1 in 6,864,000, according to The Sport Digest, still better than Powerball odds.

 

3. Afraid to fly? Then skip to the next bullet point, because the odds of dying in air and space transport incidents are 1 in 7,178.

4. If you haven't yet bought a ticket because you thought the odds of you winning the prize are as slim as the chances of dating Brad Pitt -- not so fast. According to the Book of Odds, the odds of being a movie star are 1 in 1,505,000. Reeling one in... that one's up to you, but becoming a movie star first can't hurt. 

5. It's (frighteningly much) likelier you'll die getting struck by lightning than win the Powerball jackpot: 1 in 134,906, according to the National Safety Council.  

6. The next time you're having a picnic in the great outdoors, watch out for buzzing insects, because the odds of dying from a hornet, wasp or bee sting are 1 in 79,842, according to the National Safety Council. 

Bees come and go from a bee hive in West Bath, Maine on Monday, April 30, 2012.
Bees come and go from a bee hive in West Bath, Maine on Monday, April 30, 2012.Pat Wellenbach / AP file

7. If you gasped upon seeing Honey Boo Boo's niece's duplicate thumb on national television, you'll probably be even more surprised to find out that polydactyly is not a rare condition. The odds of being born with extra fingers or toes are 1 in 500.

8. Your odds of becoming a U.S. president are 1 in 10 million, according to this article. Mitt Romney obviously found those odds attractive enough.

9. There's a 1 in 11.5 million chance you'll get attacked by a shark, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association, but there's no word on how the odds play out during Shark Week.

This July 2011 photo shows a shark warning sign along the Surf Beach near Lompoc, Calif. in Santa Barbara County.
This July 2011 photo shows a shark warning sign along the Surf Beach near Lompoc, Calif. in Santa Barbara County.Michael Fernandez / AP

10. One in 12,500 amateur golfers will make a hole in one on a par 3 hole.

11. Before you get too discouraged, keep in mind that the odds of winning at least some kind of Powerball prize -- any prize, even $4 -- are not too shabby: 1 in 31.85. But you still might be better off working on your jump shot. At least that will get you some exercise.

Jimmie Callahan of Pell City, Alabama, uses the lucky numbers from a Chinese restaurant fortune cookie to play the Powerball multi-state lottery at a retailer near the Alabama state line in Tallapoosa, Georgia.
Jimmie Callahan of Pell City, Alabama, uses the lucky numbers from a Chinese restaurant fortune cookie to play the Powerball multi-state lottery at a retailer near the Alabama state line in Tallapoosa, Georgia.Erik S. Lesser / EPA

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