Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A lottery ticket sold in Tennessee had the winning numbers for a $421 million Powerball jackpot, one of the biggest on record, officials said after Saturday's draw.
The prize is paid out over 30 years, with the option of a lump sum payment, which officials said would add up to about $254.7 million.
It cracks me up that people come out of the woodwork to buy tickets when the pot gets really big.
Why?
Because $50 million or $100 million just isn't worth it, but $421 million is? What are you going to be able to buy with the latter that you couldn't buy with the former? Nothing. And the fact that more people play when the pot gets bigger means that you're more likely to have to split that big pot with other winners, anyway.
Good Lord. If I played the lottery (I don't - the only ticket I've ever bought was a $1 scratch-off that I damaged while working at a convenience store decades ago, and was required to buy it - I did, and I won my $1 back), I'd probably just play when the pot is low so as to avoid the crush of people who think that their life would be so, so much better if they could afford 20 mansions instead of just 5, and 5 Gulfstreams instead of a mere 1 or 2.
I don't play because I think it is a waste of money. However, just as an observation, nobody ever wins until the pot is enormous. Wins should be random, meaning a few lower value pots should be won and they never are, which makes me suspect that the game is fixed in some fashion to allow the pot to become enormous, which is what brings the gamblers out in force. So, I suppose if I played, I would play when there was a chance that someone would win the lottery and not play when there was no chance of anybody winning the lottery.
Odds of it being me who wins are too astronomical to waste my $2 on.
I don't play because I think it is a waste of money. However, just as an observation, nobody ever wins until the pot is enormous. Wins should be random, meaning a few lower value pots should be won and they never are, which makes me suspect that the game is fixed in some fashion to allow the pot to become enormous, which is what brings the gamblers out in force. So, I suppose if I played, I would play when there was a chance that someone would win the lottery and not play when there was no chance of anybody winning the lottery.
Odds of it being me who wins are too astronomical to waste my $2 on.
Not true at all. The small wins don't make the news.
Not true at all. The small wins don't make the news.
It happens every day and every week. I buy a ticket once in a while when the jackpot is low. I want to win $264 thousand. After I'm raped for taxes, I'd still have more than half of it. I can do something with that.
It cracks me up that people come out of the woodwork to buy tickets when the pot gets really big.
Why?
Because $50 million or $100 million just isn't worth it, but $421 million is? What are you going to be able to buy with the latter that you couldn't buy with the former? Nothing. And the fact that more people play when the pot gets bigger means that you're more likely to have to split that big pot with other winners, anyway.
Good Lord. If I played the lottery (I don't - the only ticket I've ever bought was a $1 scratch-off that I damaged while working at a convenience store decades ago, and was required to buy it - I did, and I won my $1 back), I'd probably just play when the pot is low so as to avoid the crush of people who think that their life would be so, so much better if they could afford 20 mansions instead of just 5, and 5 Gulfstreams instead of a mere 1 or 2.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2002 Subaru
It cracks me up when people want to decide how others should spend their money.
How you confused my post as 'want[ing] to decide how others spend their money' is beyond me. Maybe you could try reading it again.
At any rate, rest assured that I have no problem with the voluntary taxation also known as buying lottery tickets. Please keep pouring your money into state coffers so that I, as a citizen, can enjoy the fruits of your labors!
I don't play because I think it is a waste of money. However, just as an observation, nobody ever wins until the pot is enormous. Wins should be random, meaning a few lower value pots should be won and they never are, which makes me suspect that the game is fixed in some fashion to allow the pot to become enormous, which is what brings the gamblers out in force. So, I suppose if I played, I would play when there was a chance that someone would win the lottery and not play when there was no chance of anybody winning the lottery.
Odds of it being me who wins are too astronomical to waste my $2 on.
The PB and MM lotteries have ridiculous odds (1 in 250+ million), so the chances of the number hitting are much rarer than the lower paying lotto's of 30 years ago where the odds were 1 in 1 or 2 million. My Uncle's dad won a lotto in MD 30 years ago where 4 or 5 tickets split the grand prize of $1M. A lot of money at the time, but I think the lottery companies have figured out that larger pots equals more revenue and more profit.
Not true at all. The small wins don't make the news.
To be frank,I dont know IF ANY WINNINGS are real!!
Does anyone know ANYONE personally who has won BIG?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
