I hate the lottery.

[Sean of the Thread]

But I still play despite the odds. Once a week $1. That's a lot of money over the years that should be in the retirement (rofl right) budget.

Still... someone wakes up and shits their pants almost weekly.

I've known two people personally that have won... has no effect on my odds but it still makes me feel less likely in an weird sort of way.


Anyone else play?

[Arkans]

$1 a week isn't bad, but it's still too much for me.

I remember going to Las Vegas and I gambled one dollar and lost it. No big deal, but I felt the worse case of buyer's remorse in the world. I could have spent that dollar on a beer from the bar or a pack of gum, but it was gone.

I never understood gambling. I understand scratch tickets and the lottery even less. It just seems like you pay so much for enjoyment that is so fleeting.

- Arkans

[Tea & Strumpets]

I hate the lottery, especially when someone in front of me in line decides to buy a shitload of tickets.

[TheEschaton]

Yeah, the low rate of return is what I don't understand about gambling. It seems to me like throwing money away, usually.

[Skeeter]

I spend $2 every tuesday and Friday on Mega-millions tickets. It's the only retirement plan I've got atm.

Hitting the $250m jackpot would let me show everyone that money does indeed buy happiness.

[Trouble]

I go through phases with the lottery. I liked the old VA Lottery system because it had a 1:7 million chance of winning. Once they merged with Mega Millions the chances got much worse (something like 1:16 million). When I am in a lotto-friendly phase I usually buy tickets whenever I buy beer, which is a couple of times a week. I figure it's more efficient to combine my vices in the same trip. :devil:

I estimate that I've won in the neighborhood of $150-200 over the years but I've probably spent in the neighborhood of $1500-1800 in that period. I rationalize it by saying I'm helping fund VA public schools.

Oh, I'm anal enough where I keep all of my losing tickets for the year in case I do win, I can use those to offset the winnings for tax purposes.

[Jenisi]

This thread reminded me that I bought a 5 dollar scratch off for shits and giggles at the grocery store today. Won 50 bux. Thanks for the reminder.

[Stanley Burrell]

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I WISH TO BLEED AN INTERNET VIDEO OF DEPUTY TRUDY WIEGEL TELLING PEOPLE TO SUCK HER BLACK COCK AFTER WINNING THE LOTTERY.

I love Reno 911! with a passion for black cock.

[Arkans]

I love...black cock.

You heard it here first, folks!

- Arkans

[Stanley Burrell]

If I say I'm gay, can I at least use the other "F" word without getting my posts pulled?

[diethx]

I spend $2 every tuesday and Friday on Mega-millions tickets. It's the only retirement plan I've got atm.

Hitting the $250m jackpot would let me show everyone that money does indeed buy happiness.

Same here, but I spend anywhere up to $5 on the days I play. I also have a weakness for scratch off tickets, but that's cuz I often win. I usually fare pretty well with them, most times at least breaking even. Most i've ever won from a mega millions ticket though was like... maybe a few of dollars, heh.

[Flurbins]

it's a tax on people who are bad at math.

[g++]

I hate the lottery, especially when someone in front of me in line decides to buy a shitload of tickets.

QFT and why the hell are they always doing it while your late for work trying to get coffee or going home from work trying to get gas?

[Sean of the Thread]

Florida's is something like 1 :23 million odds... still someone wakes up with shit in the pants.

Scratch offs I only buy the $10 or $20's. They seem to win a bit more and I only do that drunk at the bar.... great idea to sell lotto tickets at a bar eh?


They have raffles here in Florida too which I always play. 100k tickets sold for like 100 prizes (cars and shit) ... not bad odds for the money.

Taxes.... I need to look up exactly how much is going to our education system. That's what it's for.

[diethx]

I love those $5 Texas Hold 'em scratch off cards. I've won a few times on them, the biggest being $100. It was hot shit.

[Celephais]

it's a tax on people who are bad at math.
Damn, that's what I was going to say... what's that from anyway?

Scratch off tickets and things like slot machines are the dumbest wastes of money... I can understand a $1 a week or something like that on a ticket, because it gives you something to think about at work to help pass the time. Sometimes a little hope is worth a dollar... and the fact it's not "instant dis-gratification" it's much more economical.

Whenever I do buy a ticket (like three times a year), I always just go w/ state lotto vs powerball, odds wise it just makes sense, $3M or $100M, either way pays off my bills and makes it so I don't have to work anymore, but much better chance of winning the state. (okay and whenever powerball gets to like >$200M I'll buy a ticket a week, me and my friends waste time at work talking about how we'll have flat-screen TV fights (IE throwing TVs at each other), or how we'll ruin each others lives if we win, well worth the dollar).

[Sean of the Thread]

To be honest thinking of the lottery (winning) it cured my sleeping problem years ago. Trips to go on ... tanks to buy... you can think yourself to sleep on that shit anytime.

And it was suggested by my physician...

[diethx]

I love having those daydreams. I think about how i'd pay off my parents mortgage and make it so my mom didn't have to work anymore, and how i'd pay off all my/J's student loan debt. And i'd make it so J's parents could stop working, because they're both working themselves to death. I'd buy J's dad a cottage or something on a lake where he could fish whenever he wanted, and his mom a place wherever she wanted.

The snap back into reality is the worst though, heh.

[Sean of the Thread]

The Florida Lottery's mission is to maximize revenues for the enhancement of public education in Florida. With this focus, the Florida Lottery has not only kept its promise as a committed partner in education, but has also operated as a distinguished and outstanding business enterprise.

In fiscal year 2006-2007, the Florida Lottery transferred $1.26 billion to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. For the fifth time in the Florida Lottery's 19-year history the agency surpassed the billion-dollar mark in a single year, thereby pushing the Lottery's total contribution image of a Group of Graduatessince start-up to more than $17 billion by end of the last fiscal year, and more than $18 billion by the end of 2007. Although that size contribution is only a small part of the state's overall education budget, the impact of the Florida Lottery on public education flows from community to community.





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Well any money is better than no money...especially with our fucked up tax and budget problems here. I'm pretty sure you can claim losing lotto tickets as a gambling loss deduction... if you dare. Depends how deep you're into gambling you don't any extra eyes around your shit.

Should be counted as a charity deduction too since it's for education hehehe.

[Some Rogue]

Not sure if every state lottery is the same, but in Illinois, I've been told that every dollar that comes from the lottery replaces a dollar the state had already budgeted for education. So, technically it does go to education but it's not on top of what the state has already set aside.

[Methais]

I buy 1 Powerball ticket for Wednesday's drawing and 1 for Saturday's drawing and that's it. I don't fuck with scratch offs or anything else really.

Fuck the lottery. The world would be awesome if I won it.

[Sean of the Thread]

So they have more money to spend on the Chicago Swat teams!

In Florida it goes on top. Mainly to scholarships and shit I think.

[War Angel]

I buy a Mega Millions quick pick [cash payout!] twice a week.
I'd probably have better odds if I picked a set of numbers and stuck to it, but I always end up bending the ticket you mark, and then I make people wait in line behind me while the clerk punches each number in manually, so, I quick pick until they make credit card type number picks you can swipe!

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

I usually get scratch tickets at Christmas and my birthday.. other than that I don't really do the lottery thing.

[Celephais]

I buy a Mega Millions quick pick [cash payout!] twice a week.
I'd probably have better odds if I picked a set of numbers and stuck to it, but I always end up bending the ticket you mark, and then I make people wait in line behind me while the clerk punches each number in manually, so, I quick pick until they make credit card type number picks you can swipe!
This is why the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math. You do not change your odds by keeping the same number.

[Back]

You can’t win if you don’t play. Thinking about what to do with the jackpot is the ultimate opiate of the masses.

[Sean of the Thread]

For those of you in NY you know what I'm talking about but they got this game on monitors in pubs and bars and shit well everywhere almost now days....even supermarkets like P&C.

It's like a keno type of game and it continuously plays.. there are automatic ticket printers/chckers takers at the end of some aisles at the store and monitors hanging up in the store. Crazy stuff.

But fun to play. I played it in a pub one night and hit 6 of 6 on my card.. won $2200 ish dollars. Awesome game that I'm glad they don't have in Florida :)

[Flurbins]

You can’t win if you don’t play.


You also can't lose.

As to the tax on people bad at math line, I dunno where it came from, I heard it from some guy I used to work with.

[Furrowfoot]

You can’t win if you don’t play. Thinking about what to do with the jackpot is the ultimate opiate of the masses.

I've always said that if my luck runs well enough for me to win the lottery, it's going to be me tripping over the winning ticket in the middle of the street rather than actually buying it.

It's not based in logic, or serious thought, or anything - but then nothing lottery related really is, hehe.

[longshot]

In fiscal year 2006-2007, the Florida Lottery transferred $1.26 billion to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. For the fifth time in the Florida Lottery's 19-year history the agency surpassed the billion-dollar mark in a single year, thereby pushing the Lottery's total contribution image of a Group of Graduatessince start-up to more than $17 billion by end of the last fiscal year, and more than $18 billion by the end of 2007. Although that size contribution is only a small part of the state's overall education budget, the impact of the Florida Lottery on public education flows from community to community.


That's cool that they're disciplined about where the money goes.

But still, it's possibly the most regressive tax out there, and definitely the worst EV of any bet that you can make.

It's a fun dream though.