Do you buy lottery tickets?

[Gootsy]

Hey so I was talking to a friend of mine who buys lottery tickets all the time, and thought it might be interesting as a poll (crosses my fingers that this works).

Me: I never buy them, but I do get tempted when the amount you can win reaches > 20 million.

[rstlne]

I buy lottery tickets sometimes. I'm aware that mathematically, the lottery is a loser's game, but it's still an easy way to spread a few Where's George bills here and there. However, I stopped buying the lottery in New Jersey and New York because I got fed up with high taxes in these two states and I don't wish to fill their coffers any more than I have to.

[Julie Rains]

Great question. My state, North Carolina, has just recently started the lottery -- well it's been a year or so. I haven't bought a ticket yet because 1) I wasn't for the lottery in the first place as I consider it predatory and 2) I don't really know how to buy the tickets -- though I finally started noticing the displays at the grocery store so I guess I could figure it out. Every once in a while, I see billboards advertising the huge jackpots ($45 million and above) and I think about it but I haven't bought one yet.

One of the state's first winners was a former exec with Wachovia Wealth Management.

[72Tiger]

I probably spend about $10/year on powerball tickets.

[jkuo13]

I haven't bought a lotto ticket in years. I figure I'm statistically better off just keeping the dollar. The poll results look heavily skewed towards people never buying tickets. Somehow, on Wisebread, I'm not too surprised.

[dapooh1]

I spend no more than $10 per month on lottery tickets, and I usually win back a couple of dollars. I consider this part of my entertainment budget. Even though I play a 6 figure state lotto that has far better odds than Mega Millions (about 1 in 1 million instead of 1 in 5 million), I know that I'm really buying a ticket to daydream a bit. I have found that when I am tempted to play the lottery more often, I am usually looking for an escape from some aspect of my life that I'm unhappy with at the time.

[Gootsy]

Originally Posted by jkuo13

Somehow, on Wisebread, I'm not too surprised.

Haha no kidding. I should find a forum where people brag about spending all their money all the time and being waist deep in debt, and post the poll there.

[alex]

Another "never" here.

Here's some interesting reading on lottery winners: http://answers.google.com/answers/ma...view&id=141224

[Xin Lu]

lol..I'm playing Phoenix Wright 3, and in there there is an impulsive gambler, and then Phoenix said lottery is like a tax for people who are dumb at math. Seriously, it is throwing money away.

[Northernskygal]

See, I am a bit torn on this one.. I know it seems like you won't win, so why bother spending the money but.. you have absolutely no chance in winning if you don't ever play. My boyfriend waits until the amount is huge, and then he will buy a couple of tickets. I actually prefer the scratch off tickets.. though, I fall into the same category as Dapooh1, in that, for me, it is just more.. entertaining. It has been a really long time since I have bought them though, I use to work in a store that sold them though, and then I would buy them.. more often than I would maybe like to admit..