Meme About Using Powerball Jackpot to End US Poverty is so Wrong

You've probably seen that meme showing how the massive $1.4 million lottery jackpot can end poverty in the U.S. As it turns out, whoever did the math had it all wrong.

"A photograph that quickly took hold on Facebook Monday suggested that if every person in the US was given a share of the winnings, we would all be $4.33 million richer and poverty would be eliminated," CNET noted. "The photograph went viral after it was shared by Arkansas alternative R&B artist Livesosa, and has been shared over 1.3 million times and liked about 830,000 times as of this writing."

However, when some social media users tried to check the figures, it appears that the real amount everyone in the U.S. would actually get is not millions but just $4.33.

This blunder made the headlines, turning viral in itself.

In the wake of the error, Livesosa maintained that he was not the one who created the image.

It was later learned that the photo's originator is Instagram user @esteyban, ABC News said. However, he had since deleted the image, later reposting it "with actor/comedian Steve Harvey in the background, while laughing at his mathematical mistake," CNET said.

Esteyban later conceded that $4.33 is still a start, albeit a much smaller amount.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post pointed out the one thing that the meme got right about the lottery.

"Powerball does sort of redistribute money back to 'the people' ... albeit not in the form of 300 million personal checks, and not in any form even approaching perfectly equitable," the publication noted, in allusion to the philosophy behind the meme, which was about redistributing resources.

"Powerball is run by the Multi-State Lottery Association, a nonprofit based in Iowa, that basically operates several monster games across 36 states and D.C.," the Post went on. "When you buy a Powerball ticket, roughly 50 to 65 percent of your $2 - depending where you are - goes to the pot of prize money."

"A small portion, less than a dime, goes to administering the lottery," it added. "Something like 12 or 14 cents also goes to the retailer that sold the ticket."

"But the rest? That goes straight back to the state where you bought your ticket, and your state government decides what to do with it," the Post explained.

Despite the blunder in the calculation, many still shared the meme, leading one to wonder whether they too missed out on the error or were mocking the miscalculation.

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