I have a bad gambling habit.
I buy Powerball tickets.
Yes, I know the odds. Yes, I can do math. But I like to have the dream in my pocket, and participate in the absurd reality that it’s possible, however unlikely, that tomorrow I could wake up rich beyond the dreams of avarice.
I’m also lazy, so I’m certainly not going to go visit some web site to check my numbers. I want it automated.
Unfortunately, there is no official API but I found that the State of New York publishes a list of all Powerball results going back to 2010, and they update the file the day after each drawing.
Hence, powerball-checker.py was born.
The code is on Github. It’s very straightforward. One caveat is that if you buy “Quick Draw” tickets where the computer picks the numbers for you, this script is useless unless you want to edit it each time.
To use, simply edit to include your email address and numbers, and set it up in cron (example included) and then every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday – the days after Powerball results are drawn – you’ll get an email telling you if you’ve won anything.
The code is Python so it should be easy to modify if you want to tweak it. Enjoy and good luck!
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I also enjoy using LEBs! I have an empire of little guys for VPNs, larger guys for apps, and big guys for databases and storage. When I'm not in front a screen I'm into German Shepherd dogs, quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop roleplaying games, and forest hiking.
I enjoy writing technical articles here on LowEndBox to help people get more out of their systems. You can find me on LowEndTalk @raindog308
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