Lottery tix scratching in public...yuck. (Boston: 2015, ticket, therapy)

[MMS02760]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

God forbid the 'lower class' crowd try and score some extra cash.

It ends up being quite the opposite as they end up paying the state even more given the low odds of actually winning.

As my friend used to say, the lottery is just a tax on stupid people.

[Disgustedman]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

I feel like a schoolgirl complaining about it, but it bothers me when I see lottery ticket buyers scratching their stack of tix in my surroundings.

This is no joke, but maybe I'm the joke.

Can't they do it in their car or at home, and not on the MBTA, with all the shavings from the ticket flickering to the floor of the subway?

Doesnt Massachusetts have the highest rate of lottery scratch ticket buyers in America? (Never mind the littering from the participants.)

I realize I'm a bit elitist on this, because it seems that many purchasers are lower income or lower educated. Im not well-to-do, but thankfully I don't need scratch tickets daily.

Not to mention we all encounter them clogging lines at 7-11s and gas stations deciding on what combo they'll be playing today.

Sure I buy a handful of tix annually, but I wait until later to scratch them, maybe even the next day, as I have no compulsion.

Just now, I saw a young, educated Chinese guy on the T platform scratching away, seemingly out of character for someone of his demo. Then I'm sitting next to someone intently scratching away on my T ride.

I just wouldn't be seen in public scratching a lottery ticket, clipping my nails, etc. I don't even like scratching my nose in public.

Sounds like you're a Lutheran....Kind of a joke that a Lutheran won't do ANYTHING to draw attention to themselves, won't be a star in a company, movie, stage or even a mass murderer....Just quiet and non-confrontational.

[snatale1]

No question the Lottery is a tax on the stupid, but the whole driving you nuts just because somebody scratches one near you, that's an OCD'ish thing dude.

[bostonguy1960]

Originally Posted by snatale1

No question the Lottery is a tax on the stupid, but the whole driving you nuts just because somebody scratches one near you, that's an OCD'ish thing dude.

You are right. I do have OCD...sometimes it's good, sometimes I can get unrealistic towards people. I'm not on meds but likely should be. I have a history of posting complaints on C-D about people and things that bother me, possibly some of that from my OCD (always checking, monitoring, and fretting about people and things).
.

To be honest, I don't like viewing the habits of the lower class. I've driven a cab for over 25 years, so I realize one doesn't get much lower class than that (as many of you here and elsewhere may say.) It's just that educated and higher class people generally don't engage in some behaviors that less cultured people may -- and I'd like to pattern myself from those higher than I, not lower.

[iDothisoften]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

You are right. I do have OCD...sometimes it's good, sometimes I can get unrealistic towards people. I'm not on meds but likely should be. I have a history of posting complaints on C-D about people and things that bother me, possibly some of that from my OCD (always checking, monitoring, and fretting about people and things).
.

To be honest, I don't like viewing the habits of the lower class. I've driven a cab for over 25 years, so I realize one doesn't get much lower class than that (as many of you here and elsewhere may say.) It's just that educated and higher class people generally don't engage in some behaviors that less cultured people may -- and I'd like to pattern myself from those higher than I, not lower.

The 7 Eleven on Washington Street would be your worst nightmare. Seems as though there's a constant flow of ticket scratchers there

[bjimmy24]

Let's take 5 minutes to buy 10 lottery tickets, VERY specific tickets- correcting the foreign cashier when they grab the wrong ticket, scratch them all right at the counter next to everyone else, lose (of course), but WAIT! You won 4 bucks on that last ticket!!! Your luck is changing, get in line and get one or two more tickets!

All day, every day. What a waste of money, especially for people who, to be quite honest, don't appear to have an excess of it.

[iDothisoften]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Let's take 5 minutes to buy 10 lottery tickets, VERY specific tickets- correcting the foreign cashier when they grab the wrong ticket, scratch them all right at the counter next to everyone else, lose (of course), but WAIT! You won 4 bucks on that last ticket!!! Your luck is changing, get in line and get one or two more tickets!

All day, every day. What a waste of money, especially for people who, to be quite honest, don't appear to have an excess of it.

It really is amazing. I wonder how half of the people lurking in Downtown Crossing are able to support themselves.

[Cape Cod Todd]

I used to work a job that brought me to not so nice neighborhoods in cities near convenience stores and I would see the people go in to the store get their drink, pack of smokes and a stack of lotto tickets. Some would retreat to their cars to scratch like mad others would stand their on the sidewalk, some would go back in the store with a winner but most of the losers ended up on the ground.
The winners, the losers they all looked the same just plain unhappy.

The lottery is a poor mans tax.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

I used to work a job that brought me to not so nice neighborhoods in cities near convenience stores and I would see the people go in to the store get their drink, pack of smokes and a stack of lotto tickets. Some would retreat to their cars to scratch like mad others would stand their on the sidewalk, some would go back in the store with a winner but most of the losers ended up on the ground.
The winners, the losers they all looked the same just plain unhappy.

The lottery is a poor mans tax.

I bought 5 Powerball tickets last week. Woman in front of me won $45 on various scratch tickets. She bought a carton of cigarettes, then $300 more in scratch tickets and got in her Toyota Corolla and left. I felt like an "under-achieving" gambler by spending $10......won $4 by the way!

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

Yeah, I know. People here are putting me in my place, it seems.

To show you how unreasonable and intolerant I can be, even people waiting for or riding the T drive me crazy when they keep sniffling! Now that's a new one never seen on C-D, I'm sure.

Wait until someone projectile vomits.........
Perhaps a different choice of geographic location would be beneficial and please learn how to properly spell the word *ticket*, thank you in advance.