How do you view the lottery?

[007]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

 

[Article 15]

I use the lottery as a way to mentally masturbate to a better life.

 

[007]

I use the lottery as a way to mentally masturbate to a better life.

I know you're joking, but you have a point, really, there are people that count on winning the lottery as a way to achieve financial security. It was in an article written in the Wisconsin State Journal a couple years back that my mother sent me when I was in Nevada. Sure you'd have a ton of money, but how dumb can a person be to think they're going to win? It's a gamble, not a given.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Only a waste of money if you think it is, or if your spending more then you can afford.

When I buy the lottery ticket I look at it as one less soda or candy bar ( both bad for me) I can get for every ticket I buy,

 

[Ringel05]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

I just never remember to play (I don't make a special trip) and when I do remember it's after midnight and you can't play then.

 

[Mr. H.]

Yup. It's like life- you can't win if you don't enter.

I called the state lottery office the other day as I had a question about their subscription program. I bought a year's worth of draws (2x/wk) for $100. They throw in two extra draws for free.

I asked the lady "is it fun working for the lottery?" She let out a sigh, stuttered, and said "well do you want the truth?". She muttered something about the governor and said "well I better not talk about it".
LOL

 

[Sarah G]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

I put 10.00 a week on mega millions. 5.00 on Friday and 5.00 on Tuesday so if it's an addiction, it isn't too awfully expensive. If they ever get casinos here in Ohio, I might spend a little more but I'm pretty responsible. Gambling is fun.

 

[chanel]

I rarely buy tickets except at Christmas. I give them out as presents to the mailman, UPS guy, etc. In NJ, I believe the lottery is the only state program that pays for itself. When the state shut down a few years ago, they lost millions. Brilliant, eh?

 

[editec]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

I'll sell you my chance to be President for a buck if you're interested.

 

[Academic]

My dad (who does buy lottery tickets occasionally) refers to it as 'the stupidity tax'.

Think there's nothing wrong with buying a ticket from time to time, but I would absolutely never stick to a certain set of numbers (i.e. birth dates etc), because you'd just kill yourself if you hadn't bought a ticket with those numbers and most / all of them came up one week.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

I consider the lottery a donation to the state.

If the jackpot gets up high enough, around the number you stated, I'll buy one quick pick and do one that i pick the numbers on.

I never have won, well i won a free play a few times but never big.

 

[AllieBaba]

I fantasize about winning the lottery all the time.

Sadly, I never buy tickets, so it's all just a dream for me.

But gosh, wouldn't that be something? Ours was up to 150 million dollars here last time I checked...can you IMAGINE?

I sure as shit can.

 

[Dis]

If I'm going to gamble, I play things with significantly better odds.. Scratch-offs, Bingo, Slots... Other than that, I don't much bother...

 

[Dis]

Ex: I won $48,000 just playing bigo at Potawatomi in 1996 between two trips.. $32,000 on Jan 2nd, and $16,000 on Feb, 16th.. And I only went because someone dragged me along.. Ended up closing that year out with over $90,000 in total winnings between Bingo and Slots.

 

[PixieStix]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

I put 10.00 a week on mega millions. 5.00 on Friday and 5.00 on Tuesday so if it's an addiction, it isn't too awfully expensive. If they ever get casinos here in Ohio, I might spend a little more but I'm pretty responsible. Gambling is fun.

Just an FYI, the Ohio lottery was "suppose" for the betterment of the schools. I have seen no such thing happen, in fact I have seen the opposite. So where does the money go?

Recently the contract for the "NEW" lottery was given to a company in Greece. So much for new jobs in Ohio


Ohio, pouring lottery proceeds into education actually caused state spending on schools to shrink, according to a study by graduate student Thomas Garnett published by the Buckeye Institute in Dayton, Ohio.
The study demonstrated that, after Ohio's 1974 promise to devote all lottery winnings to public schools, state spending on education dropped from 42 percent of its total budget in 1973 to 29 percent in 1994.

I think it may be even worse now, from what I see with our schools. The lottery is a scam. Although I do not begruge those who decide to play one or twice a week, I understand why they play. The worse ones I see gambling hundreds of dollars in one day, would be those who play the instant tickets. It is sad and maddening to watch people use credit cards and writing checks to play in hopes to hit 500 dollars. Actually it is like watching a heroin addict shoot up.

 

[Dis]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

I put 10.00 a week on mega millions. 5.00 on Friday and 5.00 on Tuesday so if it's an addiction, it isn't too awfully expensive. If they ever get casinos here in Ohio, I might spend a little more but I'm pretty responsible. Gambling is fun.

Just an FYI, the Ohio lottery was "suppose" for the betterment of the schools. I have seen no such thing happen, in fact I have seen the opposite. So where does the money go?

Recently the contract for the "NEW" lottery was given to a company in Greece. So much for new jobs in Ohio


Ohio, pouring lottery proceeds into education actually caused state spending on schools to shrink, according to a study by graduate student Thomas Garnett published by the Buckeye Institute in Dayton, Ohio.
The study demonstrated that, after Ohio's 1974 promise to devote all lottery winnings to public schools, state spending on education dropped from 42 percent of its total budget in 1973 to 29 percent in 1994.

I think it may be even worse now, from what I see with our schools. The lottery is a scam. Although I do not begruge those who decide to play one or twice a week, I understand why they play. The worse ones I see gambling hundreds of dollars in one day, would be those who play the instant tickets. It is sad and maddening to watch people use credit cards and writing checks to play in hopes to hit 500 dollars. Actually it is like watching a heroin addict shoot up.

You live in a state where you can charge, or write a check for lottery tickets?

Not here.. Straight up cash, or nothing,

 

[PixieStix]

I put 10.00 a week on mega millions. 5.00 on Friday and 5.00 on Tuesday so if it's an addiction, it isn't too awfully expensive. If they ever get casinos here in Ohio, I might spend a little more but I'm pretty responsible. Gambling is fun.

Just an FYI, the Ohio lottery was "suppose" for the betterment of the schools. I have seen no such thing happen, in fact I have seen the opposite. So where does the money go?

Recently the contract for the "NEW" lottery was given to a company in Greece. So much for new jobs in Ohio


Ohio, pouring lottery proceeds into education actually caused state spending on schools to shrink, according to a study by graduate student Thomas Garnett published by the Buckeye Institute in Dayton, Ohio.
The study demonstrated that, after Ohio's 1974 promise to devote all lottery winnings to public schools, state spending on education dropped from 42 percent of its total budget in 1973 to 29 percent in 1994.

I think it may be even worse now, from what I see with our schools. The lottery is a scam. Although I do not begruge those who decide to play one or twice a week, I understand why they play. The worse ones I see gambling hundreds of dollars in one day, would be those who play the instant tickets. It is sad and maddening to watch people use credit cards and writing checks to play in hopes to hit 500 dollars. Actually it is like watching a heroin addict shoot up.

You live in a state where you can charge, or write a check for lottery tickets?

Not here.. Straight up cash, or nothing,

Yes. But to that point, it is their money, and their ass. Besides, you can get cash from an ATM from your credit card. I do not believe any state should tell anyone if they can use cash or plastic. That is freedom to choose how one decides to spend their own money

 

[Dis]

Just an FYI, the Ohio lottery was "suppose" for the betterment of the schools. I have seen no such thing happen, in fact I have seen the opposite. So where does the money go?

Recently the contract for the "NEW" lottery was given to a company in Greece. So much for new jobs in Ohio


Ohio, pouring lottery proceeds into education actually caused state spending on schools to shrink, according to a study by graduate student Thomas Garnett published by the Buckeye Institute in Dayton, Ohio.
The study demonstrated that, after Ohio's 1974 promise to devote all lottery winnings to public schools, state spending on education dropped from 42 percent of its total budget in 1973 to 29 percent in 1994.

I think it may be even worse now, from what I see with our schools. The lottery is a scam. Although I do not begruge those who decide to play one or twice a week, I understand why they play. The worse ones I see gambling hundreds of dollars in one day, would be those who play the instant tickets. It is sad and maddening to watch people use credit cards and writing checks to play in hopes to hit 500 dollars. Actually it is like watching a heroin addict shoot up.

You live in a state where you can charge, or write a check for lottery tickets?

Not here.. Straight up cash, or nothing,

Yes. But to that point, it is their money, and their ass. Besides, you can get cash from an ATM from your credit card. I do not believe any state should tell anyone if they can use cash or plastic. That is freedom to choose how one decides to spend their own money

I don't think it's a matter of telling someone how they can spend their money.. But cash is a guaranteed form of payment - no worries about checks bouncing for lottery tickets, and then the stores being out the money and the tickets.. And if you're going to use your CC to get cash from an ATM, it's still your money - you're just paying a hefty fine to do it, and the store is STILL guaranteed their money. I see their point.

 

[Shogun]

the lottery is a tax on the stupid.

 

[asaratis]

Sure, the odds are bad. The odds at winning the Powerball are 1:195,249,054 as stated on the ticket sold here in Wisconsin. Sure, your odds at being struck by lightening are better, twice. But, BUT... SOMEONE has to win it. NO ONE is playing the game with any better odds than you have, and someone is WINNING it. So why shouldn't it be YOU? And you can't win if you don't play, so I play. I usually wait until it gets over $100,000,000 before I buy any tickets though. Waste of money? I'm sure there are those that will tell you it's the worst bet on earth, and it is, really. But, the pay off if you win is also the largest on earth. So what the hell... why not take a chance?

Quite true. The odds are slim that you will win. The odds are just as slim that any one ticket will win. All possible combinations of numbers have an equal chance of being called. It is just as safe to pick 1,2,3,4,5,6 every time as it is to pick your birthday.

My close friend just last evening revealed that he had won $10,000 on the Mega-Million game that he seldom plays.


5/5 + Mega Ball 0 Est. $105 million
5/5 0 $250,000
4/5 + Mega Ball 7 $10,000
4/5 163 $150
3/5 + Mega Ball 184 $150
2/5 + Mega Ball 3,055 $10
3/5 7,605 $7
1/5 + Mega Ball 19,754 $3
0/5 + Mega Ball 40,887 $2


There were 71,654 other "winners" that recovered more than enough to cover the ticket cost. But these figures do not specify how many people played or how many tickets each player bought.