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Who bought a Mega Millions Ticket (Read 994 times)

Lane


    I didn't realize there was such a high tax rate on being stupid. 

     

    When I learned about statistics in middle school, I too felt smug and intellectually superior to people who play the lottery.

     

    Then I realized the odds of winning the lottery are astronomically better if you play than if you don't. 

      buying $5 a week for whatever hope and thrill you get is one thing.  9% of income is another. 

       

       

       

       

         Then I realized the odds of winning the lottery are astronomically better if you play than if you don't. 

        Reminds me of the joke I heard where the woman prays and prays week after week that God will let her win the lottery so she can afford to feed her kids. Finally God says, "Help me out, buy a ticket!"

         

        I have only bought a handful of tickets in my life, but we got my sister to get like $10 worth for our whole family. One ticket won $2. Split three ways, we're at about 70 cents. Woohoo! 

        xor


          When I learned about statistics in middle school, I too felt smug and intellectually superior to people who play the lottery.

           

          Then I realized the odds of winning the lottery are astronomically better if you play than if you don't. 

           

          And the organizers/marketers of lotteries play this up too.  "You can't win if you don't play" is a very common and apparently effective tag line.

           

          LedLincoln


          not bad for mile 25

            At the time the lottery was first being introduced in Colorado, our friends who owned a local grocery store reported that their sales of milk dropped substantially, as people's money was diverted to the lottery tickets.

              To those who did not win Mega Millions, but are reading this... congratulations.  You've won a free trip spinning 'round the earth's axis.  Enjoy your prize today.  I hope you win again tomorrow. 

               

               

               

               

              qwerty85



                Then I realized the odds of winning the lottery are astronomically better if you play than if you don't. 

                 

                 

                Astronomical.

                 

                It is a 1/176,000,000 increase in chance to win if you buy a ticket.  I would have gone with "miniscule" to describe that fraction.

                 

                Can't think of much I would change in my life for a 0.00000000568 increase of anything happening.

                 

                 

                Yeah any increase from zero takes it from impossible to possible, but if I'm going to fish any money out of my wallet to throw out of my budget forever, I'll donate it instead.   Pretty penny raked in during this lottery that suggests a lot of unneeded money we Americans have that could done untold good in the hands of an effective charity.

                xor


                  At the time the lottery was first being introduced in Colorado, our friends who owned a local grocery store reported that their sales of milk dropped substantially, as people's money was diverted to the lottery tickets.

                   

                  And the "milk is evil, people don't need milk" crowd cheers.

                   

                  (not really.  J O K E)

                   

                    And that the average American making under $13,000 annually spent $654 on lottery tickets each year.  9% of their income.

                     

                    This makes sense on a certain level.  People who believe their success is mostly determined by fate or chance tend not to be successful.

                    Runners run

                      Yeah. On another level, too, it's an act of despair: I am never getting from A to B any other way; might as go for the bazillion to one odds.

                      "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus


                      Dave

                        I played a couple of bucks and got more than that in entertainment value dreaming of what I'd do to screw up my life if I won.

                         

                        Lottery is entertainment not an investment strategy.

                        I ran a mile and I liked it, liked it, liked it.

                        dgb2n@yahoo.com

                        Carl A


                          Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?

                          Speed my steps along your path, according to your will.

                          Jeff F


                          Free Beer

                            I played a couple of bucks and got more than that in entertainment value dreaming of what I'd do to screw up my life if I won.

                             

                            Lottery is entertainment not an investment strategy.

                             

                            That is the logic I use when I play blackjack at the casino...I don't really lose anything I am just paying an entertainment fee.

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