Do you play the lottery?

[FelixDeCat]

Dang it I only got two numbers last night. Am I the only one left who plays this stinkin' game anymore?

Im actually positive for 2010 - lost $65, won $100, but we all know that wont last long.

 

[Random Variable]

I have five balls and will only screw you on Tuesdays.

 

[ahenkel]

I never play the lottery much. I play video poker more. I made about 1500 and lost 65 maybe. I

 

[Matthiasa]

There is a reason why it tends to be refereed to as a tax on stupidity.
For many you are more likely to be struck by lightning twice then win.

 

[bignateyk]

I play powerball like twice a year. One time I won $7.

 

[DrPizza]

There is a reason why it tends to be refereed to as a tax on stupidity.
For many you are more likely to be struck by lightning twice then win.

I see that "struck by lightning" comparison all the time. I think that whoever dreamed up that comparison is an idiot. How many people win the lottery each year in the US? How many people are struck by lightning each year in the US? I believe the latter group is smaller in number.

 

[jersiq]

There is a reason why it tends to be refereed to as a tax on stupidity.
For many you are more likely to be struck by lightning twice then win.

Too bad there wasn't a spelling stupidity tax.

 

[Leros]

Those 3 guys at 7-11 *CRIES*

 

[Red Squirrel]

Every now and then I buy a ticket, not like it's that expensive anyway, but I don't overdo it either. The odds are so slim, but it's worth a shot.

 

[bob4432]

I see that "struck by lightning" comparison all the time. I think that whoever dreamed up that comparison is an idiot. How many people win the lottery each year in the US? How many people are struck by lightning each year in the US? I believe the latter group is smaller in number.

According to Storm Data, a National Weather Service publication, over the last 30 years the U.S. has averaged 58 reported lightning fatalities per year. Due to under reporting, the figures are more realistically at least 70 deaths per year. Only about 10% of people who are struck by lightning are killed, leaving 90% with various degrees of disability.

Odds of being struck by lightning in a given year (reported deaths + injuries) = 1/750,000

http://www.weather.gov/om/lightning/medical.htm

Grand Prize = 1 in 195,249,054.00

$200,000 = 1 in 5,138,133.00

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

better chances of being struck by lightning, at least according to the powerball for the larger amounts.

 

[DrPizza]

Sure, but there are multiple states with lotteries and multiple drawings for each lottery. And, the comparison isn't made to a single lottery ticket either. It's a comparison to winning the lottery.

 

[Matthiasa]

<edit>

 

[moshquerade]

I see that "struck by lightning" comparison all the time. I think that whoever dreamed up that comparison is an idiot. How many people win the lottery each year in the US? How many people are struck by lightning each year in the US? I believe the latter group is smaller in number.

How many people do you think are hit by lightning each year in the US? compared to how many people hit the BIG ONE in the lottery?


Lightning-related fatality, injury, and damage reports in the US were summarized for 36 years since 1959, based on the NOAA publication Storm Data. There were 3239 deaths, 9818 injuries, and 19,814 property-damage reports from lightning during this period. On average, 90 people are killed every year in the U.S. by lightning. [NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-193] more...
http://www.unitedjustice.com/death-statistics.html


I don't think the comparison is idiotic at all.

 

[2Xtreme21]

The lottery is an idiot tax... but I'm not complaining. Our public programs thank you for your continued wasting of money.

 

[BoomerD]

meh...I donate $5 to the lotto pot from time to time, usually when the jackpot is already over $20 million.
I realize the odds of winning are slim, but they are slightly better than if I didn't buy a ticket at all...

 

[Ken g6]

I'm at net +$1 from the lottery. I've bought 3 tickets in my life, for $1 each, and the first one returned $3.

 

[sandorski]

Haven't bought a Lottery ticket in years. As I read this thread I thought of a sure way to increase my chances of Winning!

I will develop a method whereby I Randomly(hehe, see where I'm going?) pick a Week within the Year to buy a Ticket.

Using Chance to take a Chance will undoubtedly create a Statistical Odds canceling Wave. Thus dramatically increasing the Odds that I will Win!!!

 

[Demo24]

I'm at net +$1 from the lottery. I've bought 3 tickets in my life, for $1 each, and the first one returned $3.

Am I missing something here or shouldn't you be at $0?

 

[ZaneNBK]

Am I missing something here or shouldn't you be at $0?

Math like that is why he played the lottery in the first place.

 

[Greenman]

I sometimes play the home lottery game. The odds of winning are about the same, but you don't have to go buy a ticket.

 

[conehead433]

I won 10K from Mega Millions back in 2004. You wonder how much I had invested for that draw - $1. How much do I invest now - $1. And that was with a quick pick

 

[dainthomas]

You have at least a hundred times better chance of winning a state lottery than a multi-state one. So I buy one Oregon Megabucks when it gets over 4-5 mil. I'm pretty sure my happiness level would be just as high winning that as it would be winning 90-100 mil.

 

[bobdole369]

The lottery is tax for the stupid.