Sales for the Powerball drawing of May 7, 2016, which resulted in the award of a jackpot advertised at $415 million, were very much as they would have been in 2014, according to a math model that I maintain. Sales in late April, on the other hand, replicated the shortfall identified in March. This experience suggests that players are still sensitive to jackpots that exceed $300 million, rather than needing very much more to get excited.
