(all of this is based on an idea from another poster in a different thread, which I cannot find at the moment)<p>odds of winning: 1 in 292,200,000 (approx)<p>miles between LA and NYC: 2,800 (approx)<p>feet in a mile: 5,280<p>inches in a foot: 12<p>US dimes in an inch: 1.4 (approx)<p>2800 miles * 5280 feet * 12 inches * 1.4 dimes = 248,371,200 &quot;dimes&quot; between LA and NYC<p>Summary:<p>Assume that someone drove from LA to NYC at stopped at any point of their choosing along the way and threw a dime onto the ground.  Starting from LA you drive the same route, you have better odds of stopping your car at the exact spot that that person dropped their dime than you do of winning this Jackpot.<p>With all the usual caveats about not being evenly distributed.  I find this a little easier to explain to people, such that they can reasonably understand that it&#x27;s not just &quot;unlikely&quot;.  Stuff like 10 times as likely to be hit by a meteorite or other super rare events just doesn&#x27;t seem to get the point across as well.  It&#x27;s also easier to break it down into smaller pieces (throw dimes on the ground and have people try to pick the right one, guess a mile marker just in Colorado, etc)