Author Topic: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets  (Read 36141 times)

Jacana

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 188
  • Location: Back in the DMV :(
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #50 on: February 09, 2015, 08:56:20 PM »
No, never have. My husband does on a very rare occasion. I got 3 scratch-offs for Christmas this year from a grab-bag, and he had to show me how to play them because I was confused. I won 12$, so I guess that's pretty good for a 0$ investment. It provided some excitement for a few minutes.

It's nice to dream about winning big, but if I did have the urge I would play the "win $5000/month for life" versions if they still exist. I would much rather have a guaranteed quiet $5000 a month than win millions, which would mostly go to taxes and my husband's love of shiny new things that go beep, and have everyone ask me for money or pressure me into spending it. Of course, if my husband wins big, mind you, I'm not going to tell him to give it back!

Primm

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1317
  • Age: 55
  • Location: Australia
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #51 on: February 09, 2015, 10:16:09 PM »
Don't buy them, but every now and then (birthdays and Xmas) my MIL gives me a scratchy. I have a rule that whatever I win gets "reinvested" into the next mega-draw lottery. So far I've spent nothing and am about $50 ahead.

a1smith

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 360
  • Location: 44 15.478’N, 082 50.088’W
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #52 on: February 09, 2015, 11:00:05 PM »
Of course!  It's the high risk, high return portion of my retirement portfolio!!  :-D

Some additional info relative to posts above:

Powerball is $450M right now, cash value is $304.1M (not half).

Odds for grand prize are 1 in 175,223,510.00.  Here are the odds for all of the different prizes http://www.powerball.com/powerball/pb_prizes.asp

Right now, expected value is 304.1/175.2 = $1.74 (only considering grand prize) and ticket costs $2.00.  If you sum the expected value of all the ways to win (9 ways) then the expected value is $2.10.  That's assuming you are the only winner.

Pooperman

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2880
  • Age: 34
  • Location: North Carolina
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #53 on: February 10, 2015, 05:27:24 AM »
I will be buying one scratch off for SOs mother's birthday. She likes them and it'll give her a thrill for 5 minutes. She already has everything anyway. For myself? No. I will accept them as gifts before useless crap and after money and gift cards. Every time I play a scratch off, I expect to lose, so it's not a thrill. Occasionally I'll win $5 or something, but lotteries ain't my thing.

MandyM

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 543
  • Location: Lexington, KY
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #54 on: February 10, 2015, 06:07:20 AM »
This is from a waitbutwhy.com post on large numbers and I really love how it puts the odds into layman's terms:

"A recent Mega Millions lottery had 1-in-175,711,536 odds of winning. To put those chances in perspective, that’s about the number of seconds in six years. So it’s like knowing a hedgehog will sneeze once and only once in the next six years and putting your hard-earned money down on one particular second—say, the 36th second of 2:52am on March 19th, 2017—and only winning if the one sneeze happens exactly at that second."

http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/11/1000000-grahams-number.html

MsPeacock

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1571
  • Location: High COL
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #55 on: February 10, 2015, 06:13:25 AM »
I am not an expert on lottery - but I think that matches of fewer numbers also pay winnings. For instance, matching 3, 4, and 5 numbers also have payouts. The figures so far have only been for winning the "big" jackpot for matching 6 numbers. I realize the odds of winning anything are still extremely long. The amounts paid for matching fewer numbers also increases as the jackpot grows. Just thought it was worth mentioning if it is going to get all mathy up in here.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #56 on: February 10, 2015, 06:39:32 AM »
I am not an expert on lottery - but I think that matches of fewer numbers also pay winnings. For instance, matching 3, 4, and 5 numbers also have payouts. The figures so far have only been for winning the "big" jackpot for matching 6 numbers. I realize the odds of winning anything are still extremely long. The amounts paid for matching fewer numbers also increases as the jackpot grows. Just thought it was worth mentioning if it is going to get all mathy up in here.

Yes. And it is these smaller matches where people tend to make any money.
There have been a number of mathy groups (student clubs, engineers, etc) who have gamed the system to earn big on many little prizes.

MandyM

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 543
  • Location: Lexington, KY
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #57 on: February 10, 2015, 06:44:41 AM »
I am not an expert on lottery - but I think that matches of fewer numbers also pay winnings. For instance, matching 3, 4, and 5 numbers also have payouts. The figures so far have only been for winning the "big" jackpot for matching 6 numbers. I realize the odds of winning anything are still extremely long. The amounts paid for matching fewer numbers also increases as the jackpot grows. Just thought it was worth mentioning if it is going to get all mathy up in here.

I love when things get mathy:)

I do actually buy a lottery ticket once in a blue moon (probably once every other year).

Rural

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5051
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #58 on: February 10, 2015, 06:47:58 AM »
Told my husband I intend to buy one, and one only, if Tesla ever comes out with a decent four-wheel-drive vehicle. I've never bought one yet, so I'll have to get somebody to show me how.

Guesl982374

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 498
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #59 on: February 10, 2015, 07:20:19 AM »
A couple times a year (maybe a total of $5 or 10) for the following reasons:

1) To blend in. Its an easy conversation to have with "normal/non-mmm" people or its an easy social thing when people pool money to buy tickets
2) Daydreaming can be fun
3) The people close to me are all well off/hardworking so there wouldn't likely be damaged relationships
4) The losing $5 or $10 doesn't affect any real world goals. If we were earning <$50K you better believe we'd never buy one.

To me, #1 & #2 are worth $5 or 10 a year.

nobody123

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 519
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #60 on: February 10, 2015, 08:14:21 AM »
I throw $1/week into the lottery pool at work.  My thought is that I don't want to be stuck here when everyone else quits!

CashFlowTurtle

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 19
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #61 on: February 10, 2015, 08:20:17 AM »
only with credit cards, because that's not real money.


(fyi, this is meant as a joke)

minimustache1985

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 248
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #62 on: February 10, 2015, 08:40:26 AM »
If a group of people is pooling for tickets at work I'll throw in a dollar- it's worth the entertainment of us all chatting about what we'd do with our "share" if any of the tickets won.  That only happens maybe twice a year when the powerball gets sky high and someone is willing to wait in line for tickets (not many places to get them in these parts), if it was a more routine occurrence I would decline.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #63 on: February 10, 2015, 08:58:29 AM »
I throw $1/week into the lottery pool at work.  My thought is that I don't want to be stuck here when everyone else quits!

A workplace near me had a group of 20 win 261 million.  IIRC, they actually voted amongst themselves to give a small share to the one guy they worked with who never bought a ticket.  But that might have been another lottery story...  Most of the group then left work, though I think a few said they were staying.

MillenialMustache

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 265
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #64 on: February 10, 2015, 09:07:04 AM »
I bought one the day I turned 18 because cigarettes seemed worse. None since then.

I was at my in-law's home (not financially well-off) and they decided to buy all of us (six people) a powerball ticket. Guess whose ticket won $7? Mine. I felt bad, since I know we have the most money of anyone. I really don't want to play and never want to win the lottery. Too many problems to come from it.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #65 on: February 10, 2015, 10:42:29 AM »
I bought one the day I turned 18 because cigarettes seemed worse. None since then.

I was at my in-law's home (not financially well-off) and they decided to buy all of us (six people) a powerball ticket. Guess whose ticket won $7? Mine. I felt bad, since I know we have the most money of anyone. I really don't want to play and never want to win the lottery. Too many problems to come from it.

You probably don't need to feel bad about $7.  Maybe if it was $7,000 or something.  But I don't think $7 is going to make the difference for almost anyone.

Daisy

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2263
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #66 on: February 10, 2015, 08:20:00 PM »
I used to play the Florida Lotto big jackpot, like others here, maybe once or twice a year if I thought about it while at the gas station. It seemed harmless to spend a few dollars a year for this.

However, this year being possibly my final stretch towards FIRE and all and knowing I just need that little bit to get me over, I somehow came across the idea to check out the other Florida lottery games.

I saw that their Fantasy 5 game has much better odds: 1:375,000 for Fantasy 5 jackpot versus 1:22,000,000 for the regular Lotto jackpot. The winning prize for the Fantasy 5 is about $250,000 usually versus the Lotto at millions.

So then I put my analytical hat on and realized that, even though remote still, the odds for winning the Fantasy 5 were much greater than the Lotto...and, I sure know what I'd do with $250,000 versus not knowing how to handle a $13 million prize. $250,000 is totally manageable and I wouldn't even have to tell anyone I won it.

So I have been trying a little experiment the past few months by buying a ticket maybe every other day. I can easily walk across the street from work to buy one during a break.

They also have this EZmatch option where you pay an additional $1 per ticket and you have a chance to instantly win from $2-$500. The odds for winning this are more like 1:4. Actually pretty good odds. This past month I decided to buy all of them as Fantasy 5 + EZmatch to see what the results were. Well, I ended up evening out for the month. I paid $33 in tickets and won $34 in a combination of EZmatch wins (some $2 wins and one $10 win), in addition to a free ticket for getting 2 numbers every few purchases. The 1:4 odds are pretty spot on.

So I came out $1 ahead for the month, while getting about 15-20 chances to win $250,000. The most I've won in one ticket purchase so far is $10 for getting 3 numbers matched.

Kind of harmless so far...so the experiment continues.

I won't go back to playing the huge Lotto pools. The odds are too low. And in the 1:22,000,000 chance that I'd win, I'd have no idea how to handle $13 million.

libertarian4321

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1395
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #67 on: February 12, 2015, 04:54:02 AM »
No, I do not pay the Idiot Tax, er, "play" the lottery.

That's the problem with being good at math, you lose out on the joys of voluntarily tossing your money to the state, er, playing the lottery.

Actually, that's not true.  I bought a couple of tickets in ~1992.  It was a peer pressure thing.  I lost, as did the guy who convinced me to "play" the lottery, as will you and the millions of other suckers who "play" the lottery.  I would have been better off spending that $2 on a skin mag or a bottle of malt liquor.



Debtless in Texas

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 32
  • Location: Texas
    • Debtless in Texas
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #68 on: February 12, 2015, 01:36:50 PM »
Nope, that is the stupid tax. I have paid enough of that in my lifetime.

Dalmuti

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 27
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #69 on: February 12, 2015, 02:00:53 PM »
Of course!  It's the high risk, high return portion of my retirement portfolio!!  :-D


Obviously you meant this as a joke, but it's actually pretty close to my reasons for buying a ticket about once a year when the jackpot gets big.  I (like most people) have some temptation toward the get-rich-quick mindset.  I want to stay true to my get-rich-slow plan of living below my means and investing in index funds.  I find that "scratching the itch" by blowing a dollar on Mega Millions every once in awhile makes it much easier to fight off any temptation to put real money into options or the neighbor's startup.

JLee

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7512
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #70 on: February 12, 2015, 02:12:11 PM »
I won $2!*





*I didn't buy a ticket and the numbers I would have picked didn't come up. :P

FarmerPete

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 346
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #71 on: February 12, 2015, 02:28:06 PM »
Hell nos.  I'd rather take my odds betting on black.

robbyho

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 71
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #72 on: February 18, 2015, 10:05:53 AM »
I find it funny and surprising that even among this ultra reasonable crowd, there are still people who play the lotto "only when the jackpot gets big". Because obviously 100 Million just wouldn't be enough, I'm holding off for $350 Million.

So let's say you do win, do you take the cash lump sum (at a discount) or take the annuity?

Most people take the lump sum.

http://www.powerball.com/powerball/pb_stories.asp



robbyho

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 71
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #73 on: February 18, 2015, 02:46:58 PM »
Here is a mustachian-esque write up on lotto:

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-when-math-says-you-should-start-to-care-about-powerball-2013-9

From the conclusion:

1.The expected value for the cash-up front Powerball winnings is always negative. It will never make sense to take the money up front, whether you believe the linear model or the polynomial model.

 
2.The expected value for the annuity, however, is break-even when the jackpot exceeds $345 million in the linear participation model and $380 million in the polynomial model. Since the polynomial model seems more accurate at higher jackpots, go with that one.


3.Taxes will probably mean that it is never profitable or sensible to play the lottery. So if you do play, try to minimize them.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-when-math-says-you-should-start-to-care-about-powerball-2013-9#ixzz3S8T87XUN

hodedofome

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1463
  • Age: 44
  • Location: Texas
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #74 on: February 18, 2015, 03:56:45 PM »
Was just about to post that article ^^^

That's about the only time I ever play, when the ticket is worth more than the price I'm paying for it. I'd put as much as legally possible into a private foundation (save on taxes), then each year pile more into the foundation until it's all in there. I'd give it all away and tell nobody that I'd won. If anybody asks where I got all that money, I'd say I made a few good trades (which is not lying). I'm a stock trader anyways so they wouldn't know any better.

Pooperman

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2880
  • Age: 34
  • Location: North Carolina
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #75 on: February 18, 2015, 04:11:52 PM »
I thought about what I'd do if I won more money than I'd spend in a lifetime. I'd give my parents and my fiancée's parents enough to retire on (5 million each). The rest into the market as per normal (Betterment office tour anyone?). I'd still walk into work the next day, even though I wouldn't need my job anymore, however, I'd learn the skills I want to learn and be more forceful about my wants than I am now. Probably work a couple years then buy a house somewhere nice and travel a lot (cruise around the world anyone?). Thing is, I don't have to buy a ticket. If either of our parents won, they'd give us more than enough to be set for life. I'm playing without playing.

ShaneD

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 184
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #76 on: February 18, 2015, 04:31:46 PM »
A former co-worker often made comments on how she should play the lottery. One day when she mentioned it again, I asked her if she was taking advantage of the company's 401k match, then helped her understand index funds. From then on, she stopped making lottery comments and started asking about retirement vehicles. :)


johnny847

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3188
    • My Blog
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #77 on: February 18, 2015, 04:52:45 PM »
A former co-worker often made comments on how she should play the lottery. One day when she mentioned it again, I asked her if she was taking advantage of the company's 401k match, then helped her understand index funds. From then on, she stopped making lottery comments and started asking about retirement vehicles. :)
*High five!*

ShaneD

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 184
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #78 on: February 18, 2015, 05:50:43 PM »
A former co-worker often made comments on how she should play the lottery. One day when she mentioned it again, I asked her if she was taking advantage of the company's 401k match, then helped her understand index funds. From then on, she stopped making lottery comments and started asking about retirement vehicles. :)
*High five!*

:D

minority_finance_mo

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 784
    • Minority Finance
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #79 on: February 18, 2015, 09:18:47 PM »
Hell no. I pay enough taxes without tacking on the stupidity tax.

kathrynd

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 412
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #80 on: February 18, 2015, 09:30:06 PM »
We play occasionally..have won a few small prizes.

In Canada and Australia, our winnings are tax free :)

Co-worker won $230k a few years back.
He and his wife found out on their way to work.
They decided since they were almost there, they may continue working for the day.
It wasn't enough to retire on.
...well, if I had won the money, it would have been enough for me, because of what I would have done with it..

He is still working..he is about 60 now.


Jags4186

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 587
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #81 on: February 19, 2015, 04:22:17 PM »
I play 6 times a week to the tune of $8/wk, $416/yr.  I might win $100-$150/yr back.

At $300/yr net, over 20 years at 8% that's $15k. Not enough to change my life towards the negative...but hey...every week someone wins a few million bucks. I know it will likely never be me, but nothing can change my life so quickly and easily than the lottery.  And hey if it doesn't work out...I always have my 50%+ savings rate to fall back on.

libertarian4321

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1395
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #82 on: March 12, 2015, 04:56:41 AM »
I play 6 times a week to the tune of $8/wk, $416/yr.  I might win $100-$150/yr back.

At $300/yr net, over 20 years at 8% that's $15k. Not enough to change my life towards the negative...but hey...every week someone wins a few million bucks. I know it will likely never be me, but nothing can change my life so quickly and easily than the lottery.  And hey if it doesn't work out...I always have my 50%+ savings rate to fall back on.

You could just light a match to those dollar bills you spend on the lottery.

At least that way, you'll get some heat value out of them, rather than just wasting them.

jeromedawg

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5174
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: Orange County, CA
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #83 on: March 12, 2015, 03:13:50 PM »
Haha my wife has fallen victim a couple times at her work, where they do pools. At most I think she's put in a few bucks or so. And of course, nobody won a thing LOL.

MoneyCat

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1752
  • Location: New Jersey
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #84 on: March 12, 2015, 03:20:39 PM »
Why waste money on a pipe dream of striking it rich when you could invest the money and guarantee wealth?

Jags4186

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 587
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #85 on: March 12, 2015, 04:30:40 PM »

I play 6 times a week to the tune of $8/wk, $416/yr.  I might win $100-$150/yr back.

At $300/yr net, over 20 years at 8% that's $15k. Not enough to change my life towards the negative...but hey...every week someone wins a few million bucks. I know it will likely never be me, but nothing can change my life so quickly and easily than the lottery.  And hey if it doesn't work out...I always have my 50%+ savings rate to fall back on.

You could just light a match to those dollar bills you spend on the lottery.

At least that way, you'll get some heat value out of them, rather than just wasting them.

You could say that about most anything people spend money on!  $300/yr vice...could be worse.

HappyMargo

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 119
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #86 on: March 13, 2015, 04:54:33 AM »
I throw $1/week into the lottery pool at work.  My thought is that I don't want to be stuck here when everyone else quits!

This.
Some coworkers just started a pool this week for Saturday's weekly drawing. I toss in my buck in order to join the conversation & not be the only one left behind when the group "calls in rich."  ;-)

pancakes

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1338
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #87 on: March 13, 2015, 05:23:05 AM »
I buy a charity lottery ticket every year. The profits go towards a good cause and there is a 1/100 000 chance of winning the top prize (over $1M) and a 1/25 chance of winning something (though probably less than the ticket price haha).

Occasionally (once every couple of years) when there is a huge jackpot I buy a ticket in the regular lotto. A ticket is maybe $7 and I'd say I get $7 worth of entertainment dreaming about what I would do with $200M. Once I won $18!...

moustacheverte

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 145
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Switzerland
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #88 on: March 13, 2015, 05:39:30 AM »
What about entering contests? There are lots of websites cataloguing open contests at any given time and with LastPass' form autofill + a fake facebook account (contests will require an FB account and will spam the shit out of it), it takes about 30 secs to apply for a contest. Do this 30 minutes a day and you've entered 50+ contests with better odds than lottery. You don't win millions but you'd be surprised how many contests pay cheques or trips worth thousands and sometimes tens of thousands.

KungfuRabbit

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 286
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #89 on: March 13, 2015, 05:57:20 AM »
i spend maybe $5 a year on lottery tickets.  before you face punch me for wasting $5 a year, i will argue its worth it. 

what i am buying is 24 hours worth of day dreaming.  are you having a bad day and want to research which private island you are going to buy?  buy a lottery ticket.  $1 is a steal for 24 hours of "entertainment". 

HazelStone

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 118
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #90 on: March 13, 2015, 06:27:32 AM »
I throw $1/week into the lottery pool at work.  My thought is that I don't want to be stuck here when everyone else quits!

This.
Some coworkers just started a pool this week for Saturday's weekly drawing. I toss in my buck in order to join the conversation & not be the only one left behind when the group "calls in rich."  ;-)

My team does a pool when the jackpot gets silly high. While I like my job and this office, I would be kicking myself if I skipped the pool and the group won. And, yes, it's a way to fit in slightly, since I don't give a crap about sports and by extension, any sort of football pool, etc. I would rather we paid the extra buck per ticket to get the "multiplier" on any secondary winnings (buying fewer tickets), but the others don't see it my way. $100K or $200K apiece if we matched 5 out of 6 is nothing to sneeze at, in any case...

Occasionally I play the state lotto, since the odds are better than the multi-state lottos. I live in a state that doesn't require publishing winners' identities. The $1-$2million that the state jackpot usually ranges is enough to buy a nice house outright and still have a good gob of money to invest. :P

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #91 on: March 13, 2015, 06:39:18 AM »
No.  If I'm going to waste money, I'd prefer to waste it on blow and hookers.

boarder42

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9332
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #92 on: March 13, 2015, 06:55:47 AM »
i used to before MMM.  My dad plays powerball and mega millions and if he wins i'll be included on his ticket ... so in a round about way i guess i do.

MandalayVA

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1569
  • Location: Orlando FL
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #93 on: March 13, 2015, 07:01:04 AM »
I'm another that tosses a buck or two into the office pool when Mega Millions or Powerball gets up there.  Like many I don't want to be left with all the work when everyone quits.  :D

When I was in my twenties and working in New York once the New York lottery got super-high for the time, about forty million.  On my way home I stopped to get a ticket; I remember the line at the newsstand.  Later that night I turned on the TV to hear the numbers called.  First number, cool, I've got it.  Second number, cool, I've got that too.  Third number--oh my God, I've got it.  Fourth number--HOLY SHIT I'VE GOT IT!!!!  I was literally hyperventilating at this point.  Fortunately for my sanity I didn't have the fifth or sixth number.  I remembered someone saying once that a payout was given if you had four numbers, so I went back to the newsstand the next day.  The guy looked at the ticket and gave me a claim ticket and a form to fill out to send to the NYL.  About a week later I got a check for $1200.  I figured I blew my lottery luck wad and it was decades before I bought another ticket.

Kaspian

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1533
  • Location: Canada
    • My Necronomicon of Badassity
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #94 on: March 13, 2015, 09:45:10 AM »
I quit the $2/week lottery pool at work 3 years ago when I heard the statistic that you have a better chance of correctly guessing a random American stranger's first and last name, full street address, city, and state than you do of winning. 

You also have a much better chance of winning "Survivor" than you do the lottery.  So get those audition tapes in people!!

And here's another one:  You have a greater chance of getting somehow killed going to the store to buy the lottery ticket than you do of winning the jackpot.  So, if you believe in odds, it's best just to stay home.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2015, 02:04:22 PM by Kaspian »

M2 pilot

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 62
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #95 on: March 13, 2015, 05:22:48 PM »
What about entering contests? There are lots of websites cataloguing open contests at any given time and with LastPass' form autofill + a fake facebook account (contests will require an FB account and will spam the shit out of it), it takes about 30 secs to apply for a contest. Do this 30 minutes a day and you've entered 50+ contests with better odds than lottery. You don't win millions but you'd be surprised how many contests pay cheques or trips worth thousands and sometimes tens of thousands.

I do this.  I spend around 20-30 minutes a day.  In the past 4 years the significant prizes I've won have been a trip for 4 to Spacecamp in Huntsville,AL. I took the Grandson & his parents, let them do the Spacecamp experience & I explored the honkytonks & resturants for the weekend.  Trip for 4 to Orlando + $500 prepaid Visa.  A $1000 prepaid Visa card. A 2011 Land Rover Range Rover HSE Sport (MSRP $87K).  There are several websites for entering contests.  The best I've found is sweepstakes.com. 

I also will buy a raffle ticket now & then if it's to benefit an organization I can get behind, has a prize I'd really like to have, & is better than a 50:50 raffle.  I won a new BMW M235i 6 weeks ago from BMWCCA Foundation. I took the cash option & am applying it to a very un-mustachian new car.

I probably spend $100 a year on lottery tickets.  Nothing good to report from them.

Grateful Stache

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 196
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #96 on: March 13, 2015, 07:33:03 PM »
You can't win if you don't play.

I've got a buck or two to play once a month. Why not?

Kaspian

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1533
  • Location: Canada
    • My Necronomicon of Badassity
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #97 on: March 16, 2015, 10:51:15 AM »
You can't win if you don't play.

I actually believe that to be one of the greatest brainwash phrases ever perpetuated on a society.  Right up there in the platitude list with "there's no 'I' in team", "you are what you eat",  "you only live once (YOLO)", and "everything happens for a reason".
« Last Edit: March 16, 2015, 10:56:16 AM by Kaspian »

Jags4186

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 587
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #98 on: March 16, 2015, 02:38:57 PM »

You can't win if you don't play.

I actually believe that to be one of the greatest brainwash phrases ever perpetuated on a society.  Right up there in the platitude list with "there's no 'I' in team", "you are what you eat",  "you only live once (YOLO)", and "everything happens for a reason".

Dean Smith told Michael Jordan that there was no "I" in team.

Jordan replied "no, but there is in 'win'"

a1smith

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 360
  • Location: 44 15.478’N, 082 50.088’W
Re: Do You Buy Lottery Tickets
« Reply #99 on: March 16, 2015, 05:42:14 PM »
"You are what you eat" isn't a platitude.  It's conservation of energy and mass, etc.  Simple physics.