No one has ever called me a mathematical genius, but I know, right off the top of my head, that if the odds are 1 in 176 million, that’s not good.

My question: Why would we Americans shell out an estimated $1.5 billion dollars on those odds. Even if the payoff is $640 million. Seriously?

Americans spent 1.5 billion dollars on Mega Millions lottery tickets. AP Photo Paul Sakum

I would not have known about last week’s Mega Millions mania had I not driven through Primm, California, last Monday. For some unknown reason this community, which sits low on the tourist-attraction scale, was rock-and-rolling.  The town of Primm, located in a stark, barren part of the Mojave Desert, is plopped right on the California-Nevada border. It’s a mishmash of casinos, restaurants, and outlet stores. Truthfully, what happens in Primm, stays in Primm.

What I soon learned was that Nevadans were in a frenzy over the Mega Millions Lottery jackpot. The payout, $640 million, would be the single biggest lottery win ever. Nevada is one of the eight states that does not participate in the Mega Millions Lottery largesse. We have our gambling standards, after all!  If Las Vegans wanted a piece of the action, they had to visit the Primm Valley Resorts Lotto store. It’s in California, about 40 miles south.

Apparently, by the end of the week, most Las Vegans had been to Primm. In the frenzy leading up to Friday night’s drawing, the store had been selling about 165,000 to 170,000 lottery tickets per day.  On Thursday the waiting time to buy tickets was four hours. It was hot. Ben Spillman of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote, “The line stretched out the front door of the store, around the building, along the perimeter of the parking lot and down the road more than 1,000 feet.”

A dollar or two, even ten, I could understand. But there were some pretty serious number$ rumor$ flying around Vegas this past week. $20,000. $850. $350. The numbers for “group pools” was even higher.

Why do people spend money that vanishes in the reality of the odds.?  I have a theory.  Not one of those ticket buyers thought they would win this windfall. Not one. But we’re Americans. We’re the 99%. We dream big and enthusiastically and against the odds.  We’re a country of, “What Ifs”. We laugh loudly and eat too much and make our fun if we can’t find it. What’s wrong with grabbing some friends, packing a lunch and carpooling to paradise. That’s what the Primm pilgrimage, in my opinion, was all about.

At a time when the political climate of this country has turned mean-spirited and negative and combative, I, for one, am happy to see the rest of us marching to a happier drummer.

After passing through Primm, and without a lottery ticket of my own, I also began to think, fantasize and dream. If I won this lottery, what would I do with the money. Within an hour, the time it took to reach my Henderson house, I had those millions spent. Here’s how………

1.  Pay Uncle Sam $178 million for taxes, leaving me with $462 million.
2. Provide financial stability and security for my family. (PS to Kids: No One stops working, quits their job, or retires!)
3. Give generous financial gifts to my church, favorite charities and alma maters.
4. Take my family to the Galapagos.
5. The silly things, for me: A new wardrobe. iPad 3. iPhone.
6. Create, design and fund a national program, privately financed and administered, to assist first-generation female college students.

During my four years at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas I continued to be impressed and amazed by the perseverance and determination of first-generation female students. The first in their family to attend college. These students, who come in record numbers to UNLV, are usually, but not always, children of immigrants. They are often less academically prepared and somewhat intimidated by the educational challenges. Doubt reigns supreme. There are cultural conflicts, unique personal challenges, and economic obstacles. Go to classes. Go to a job. Study. Go to classes. Go to a job. Study.

Not that these women are complaining. They are tough.They are resilient. They will take risks. Frankly, they have nothing to lose. They are proud to be on campus, realizing their American dream. But their journey could be so much easier and fulfilling if they acquired  skills and experiences and knowledge that many of us and our daughters already take for granted.

I think $400 million might make that program fly.