We too have asked ourselves this question many times. So we consulted the U.S. World Factbook and found the average life expectancy of a U.S. resident is 78.4 years. Since a person must be 18 years old to legally purchase lottery tickets, we find that a person has about 60 years in which they can buy Powerball, Mega Millions, or other lottery tickets.
Since these major lotteries have drawings twice a week, there are 104 opportunities to win each year. Multiplying 104 times 60 years, we obtain 6,240. Because of leap years, a player gets another 15 drawings to play. Adding 6,240 and 15 together, we find that there are a total of 6,255 drawings that may be played
Thus, we conclude, that: The Average 18 Year Old Has 6,255 Chances to Win the Lottery
As you get older, the number of opportunities becomes smaller. You can check the table below to see how many drawing you may have left to play.
| Age | Drawings |
| 18 | 6,255 |
| 20 | 6,047 |
| 25 | 5,526 |
| 30 | 5,005 |
| 35 | 4,483 |
| 40 | 3,962 |
| 45 | 3,441 |
| 50 | 2,920 |
| 55 | 2,398 |
| 60 | 1,877 |
| 65 | 1,356 |
| 70 | 835 |
| 75 | 313 |
Note: These are only averages. Unfortunately, some players may pass away before they reach 78 years old. Others who are more fortunate, can have many more years left to dream.
