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They say if you don't play you can't win. Spent most my life not playing. Odds of winning the Powerball are 1:195,000,000 That's pretty bad. But people do win. Recently I have decided to buy a couple tickets a week. I used to be the guy who would say "Why don't you just set your money on fire?" Yeah I know, it's a big farce, but it sure is fun to think about hitting those magical numbers
What are some of your thoughts on the lottery?
Anyone think it's rigged? If so, how?
It's a tax on stupidity. If there were no lottery, the rest of us would have to make up the revenue shortfall, instead of letting the stupid pay it.
Personally, I am not particularly proud of our nation running on the backs of the stupid. There is nothing evil or reprehensible about being stupid, it's just the way some people are. We have no right to take unfair advantage of them.
No idea where the profits go in the US - supposed to be education isn't it? Uh huh. I play the UK lotto - 2 tickets a week.
In the UK I see evidence of lotto proceeds - in the arts, sports, etc. So I don't feel I'm wasting my money at all. Besides, even though the chances of winning are sooooo tiny, if you don't play your chances are zero.
It's a tax on stupidity. If there were no lottery, the rest of us would have to make up the revenue shortfall, instead of letting the stupid pay it.
Personally, I am not particularly proud of our nation running on the backs of the stupid. There is nothing evil or reprehensible about being stupid, it's just the way some people are. We have no right to take unfair advantage of them.
LOL. Ask the people playing the lottery if they feel taken advantage of. I'd bet not.
And why assume that all people who buy lottery tickets are stupid? IMO, people who make assumptions about others based on actions they take freely and without duress are self righteous know it alls.
They say if you don't play you can't win. Spent most my life not playing. Odds of winning the Powerball are 1:195,000,000 That's pretty bad. But people do win. Recently I have decided to buy a couple tickets a week. I used to be the guy who would say "Why don't you just set your money on fire?" Yeah I know, it's a big farce, but it sure is fun to think about hitting those magical numbers
What are some of your thoughts on the lottery?
Anyone think it's rigged? If so, how?
I don't think it's rigged, but clearly your chances of winning are slim based on the number of tickets sold.
But, I don't see what the big deal is. If people want to buy lottery tickets, who am I to question their judgement?
LOL. Ask the people playing the lottery if they feel taken advantage of. I'd bet not.
And why assume that all people who buy lottery tickets are stupid? IMO, people who make assumptions about others based on actions they take freely and without duress are self righteous know it alls.
Do you think it is OK to keep taking advantage of people, as long as they don't know they're being taken advantage of?
Anybody who wagers when the payout is less than the take, is stupid, unless you can have knowledge that improves your chances of winning. Do the people playing the lottery know that? I bet not. Please feel welcome to present your opposing arguments against my "assumptions".
I've got a deck of cards, and I'll cut them. If it's an ace of spades, I'll pay you $40. How long will you keep playing at a dollar a cut, freely and without duress?
Do you think it is OK to keep taking advantage of people, as long as they don't know they're being taken advantage of?
I don't think they're being taken advantage of. I think they are freely and willingly purchasing a ticket and hoping it pays.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Anybody who wagers when the payout is less than the take, is stupid, unless you can have knowledge that improves your chances of winning.
Maybe they are just hopeful? I don't know and neither do you. And I don't think it's any of my damn business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Do the people playing the lottery know that? I bet not. Please feel welcome to present your opposing arguments against my "assumptions".
Yeah, I'm sure they do. Buy a couple non-winning tickets and nobody could miss the "I may not win" memo. If lottery tickets always paid, the gas lines we had at one time around the local convenience stations would be a joke compared to the ones to buy tickets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
I've got a deck of cards, and I'll cut them. If it's an ace of spades, I'll pay you $40. How long will you keep playing at a dollar a cut, freely and without duress?
I doubt I'd play at all. I CHOOSE not to risk my money. But, I will also not moralize to others if they CHOOSE to do differently.
Spoken like a true capitalist. The stupider people are, the more fun it is to get them to make my sailboat payments for me. It's not for me to moralize---mainly because I have no morals.
I saw a great program on probabilities. One of the people that was interviewed was an economist who said, "Some one winning the lottery is an example of a poor decision with a good outcome." There was also a professional gambler on the program who said "Yeah, some one might win the lottery. It just won't be you." The lottery plays on two of mankind's most powerful weakness's-greed and the dream of getting wealthy without having to work for it. The lottery is the ultimate state run con game and an easy out for the legislatures.
Last edited by vaughanwilliams; 03-29-2010 at 03:42 PM..
As one odds maker said on Television;who have a better chance of finding a brief case on a parking lot with 100,000 in it than winning the lottery. Most play it for entertainment really unless they are addicted to gambling.
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