Do you buy lottery tickets?

[Jackson]

I buy one about every couple months. I use to have MY numbers picked and bought weekly. Now I just grab a quick pick and try my luck. I give Uncle Sam plenty of money and the odds in winning apparently have not been in my favor~

[wwstewart]

I do not buy lottery tickets. However, I have found a way to win the lotto without spending money. Seriously, I have done this.

In most convenience stores, there is a little lotto kiosk where people can scratch tickets, fill out playslips, etc. Usually, those kiosks have a slot to drop your used scratch-offs.

And 99% of the store employees won't mind if you take the discarded tickets. It's polite to ask if you can have them, and most of the time they will say that it's alright (since they are already scratched off).

Here's the good part. You have a stack of used scratch offs. Out of about 15 times I've done this, I have found at least 7 winning tickets (probably around $40 worth) that have been thrown away.

I heard on the news once that Americans throw away over 4 billion dollars per year in winning scratch off tickets, thanks to either improper scratching, not understanding the rules, or not being familiar enough with the language to understand the game.

Free money, zero investment. Now THAT'S a game I like to play.

[starshard0]

I never have, and don't really ever plan to. The odds are astronomical, and sure, you COULD win, but you've got a better chance at being struck by lightning.

[vacationofwealth]

You are correct with many players who rub scratch offs dont scratch the whole play area or the state makes the games a bit misleading knowing that some players will then throw away winners. In Illinois they have a gold bar game. Where if you get a gold bar anywhere on the card you win. The gold bar is usually in the prize amount section that people forget to scratch when they notice they didnt have a winner in the game section of the card. Very sneaky. But they know they will increase the amount they get to keep.

[amandajane]

Originally Posted by starshard0

I never have, and don't really ever plan to. The odds are astronomical, and sure, you COULD win, but you've got a better chance at being struck by lightning.

lol - so true! Thanks for the giggle :0)

[wwstewart]

@vacation - wow, that is sneaky! If I'm ever up that way I will have to do some lotto diving...heh.

Free money is good money.

[Lwilliams]

I've always thought of lottery, gambling, bingo, etc... as something done for fun. I get a little worried when people are religious about their lottery purchases. For myself, I keep my gambling as a social thing.

Linda

Home in Tahoe - leading real estate lake tahoe

[Missetm]

(I don't know if this post is even valid but I thought I'd answer it anyway)

As time went on I stopped buying the scratch offs and started buying regular lottery tickets. A friend of mine always buys lottery tickets and she wins, seems like all the time. She told me about a book she read, that showed her a mathematical way to win the lottery.

[trustno1]

I have never/will never purchase any "lottery" type tickets. I am not a gambler by nature, although I am a 'calculated' "risk taker". (There is a big difference, based mainly on percentage of risk).

The profile psychology behind it is something I find fascinating. (another topic).

If anyone is interested in some statistics on "who" buys lottery tickets...here ya go...(the Gallup Poll link will not work unless you pay to join Gallup...the link at the bottom is to the NASPL, which is an entirely free site with tons of info on lotteries).

A recent Gallup Poll on Gambling in America found that 57% of American adults reported buying a lottery ticket in the past 12 months. People with incomes of $45,000 to $75,000 were the most likely to play -- 65 percent had played in the past year -- while those with incomes under $25,000 were the least likely to play at 53 percent. Further, people with incomes in excess of $75,000 spend roughly three times as much on lotteries each month as do those with incomes under $25,000.
(source: (NASPL) North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries)

http://www.naspl.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&PageID=41&PageCategor y=38#WhoPlaysLotteries


And, just to throw out a personal note...
You can massage statistics to "show" virtually any side of an argument . Here is one for ya...
"Statistics show that 12 out of every 8 people have trouble with Math"...hehehehe

[Socal104]

Lottery tickets are another tax, largely impacting the poor. They may buy fewer as the Gallop poll indicates (although this is completely the opposite of what I see), but as a percent of discretionary income its much higher for the poor and lower middle class. The wealthy can buy lottery tickets because it is cheap entertainment, but the poor, that was their milk money. No matter what is said about the "good" that lotteries bring to schools it really is just another tax.

Some very uneducated people are convinced that they can make money playing the lottery and slots. I'm sure that there are books out there that will tell you how you can win, and thousands of suckers who will buy it.

I once stood there listening to someone on a Riverboat Casino say how slots were a sure thing and that they knew how to make money consistently. Sometimes people are so stupid, its hard to logically convince them. Shame to see them months later when they found out the hard way. Statistically, you can win for some period of time but with enough events, you will end up a loser.

There are very, very few ways of winning over the long haul at gambling. If you are good at counting cards and want to press your luck in Vegas, get ready to do some serious work and take some serious risks. But don't believe that a machine that has a pre-programmed advantage or a lottery that pays out at a rate that would make a Riverboat Casino blush is ever going to make you rich.