I know this is lame...$266 Million Jackpot......

[RacerE7773]

Originally Posted By: sparkplug
It seems like no one wins the lottery.

back in 1990 I picked 638 as my numbers. They came up that night as 636.

If I ever did play again, but actually won Ohio would be in our reaview mirror.

 

[ZZman]

Don't play. I hate losing money that way.

 

[opus1]

I know someone that won the "Little Lotto" in Illinois, just short of $500,000.

I play $1/drawing. The Jewel stores here have self-service kiosks for lottery tickets so I don't have to explain to the person behind the counter that $1/draw for 10 draws does not mean I want to play $10 in one drawing, just like it didn't mean that the week before, and the week before that and the week before that.....

Personally, I'd rather win the jackpot right after someone wins one of these big ones. No publicity, and I'll make a couple mill last a long time -- I made 3 months severance last me almost a year when I lost the last job, and if it means I don't ever have to come to work again, I'll make it last.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I'll pay the taxes and almost enjoy paying them.

 

[Kestas]

Oilbabe plays the lottery, I don't. I asked her how she would handle the winnings should she ever hit the jackpot. After discussion of her talking about helping family and others I realized she would be joining the poor house along with the others after winning the lottery. She wouldn't be able to say no to all her friends and coworkers with their hands out, and she has a LOT of friends.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: hate2work
Originally Posted By: eljefino
If powerball is over 150 mill I'll play.

The odds are better.

Why are the odds better when the jackpot is big? I'm not following. Does the game change somehow?

A guess-the-numbers lotto typically grows if noone guesses all the numbers, and if multiple parties get it right, they split the pot. They are typically rigged so a few weeks/drawings pass so the pot picks up steam. If you buy a ticket at 20 million the most you can win is 20 mill. If you buy one at 200 million, yes you might split it ten ways... or possibly fewer!

 

[Bill in Utah]

I would rather see people playing the lotto cause at least they KNOW that they are spending their money for projects instead of the other ways those projects are getting paid for.

Also, I'd like to see the MAX you could win is 1-2 million TAX FREE and 200 people win that instead of 1 person win 200mill.

I know, if I was the person who won the 200 mill I'd have a different mindset..

As one of the 2 states that does not have a lotto, I'm not going to drive like thousands of Utah people do and support Idahos schools.

Bill

 

[PeteTheFarmer]

I read somewhere you're more likely to be killed in an accident driving to and from the store to get the ticket than you are of winning the jackpot.

With my luck, I'd buy the winning ticket, and then get killed on the return trip.

 

[L_Sludger]

You will never see me buy a lottery ticket. It irks me to wait behind the occasional gambling addict, in line at a gas station. They're always buying fifty dollars worth of tickets, taking 15 minutes to get all of their picks bought, and then buying a pack of smokes and "two dollars on pump seven" to get home.

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
You will never see me buy a lottery ticket. It irks me to wait behind the occasional gambling addict, in line at a gas station. They're always buying fifty dollars worth of tickets, taking 15 minutes to get all of their picks bought, and then buying a pack of smokes and "two dollars on pump seven" to get home.


You hit the nail on the head!

 

[Popinski]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
You will never see me buy a lottery ticket. It irks me to wait behind the occasional gambling addict, in line at a gas station. They're always buying fifty dollars worth of tickets, taking 15 minutes to get all of their picks bought, and then buying a pack of smokes and "two dollars on pump seven" to get home.


People buy cigarettes; people buy alcohol; people buy $70 worth of fuel for their SUV and they're the only ones driving it. The lottery is in the same boat. It's for the pleasure.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: bigmike
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
You will never see me buy a lottery ticket. It irks me to wait behind the occasional gambling addict, in line at a gas station. They're always buying fifty dollars worth of tickets, taking 15 minutes to get all of their picks bought, and then buying a pack of smokes and "two dollars on pump seven" to get home.


You hit the nail on the head!

I would occasionally go and buy a few scratch offs to give to coworkers for birthdays, holidays, etc ..maybe do one powerball on the computer pick.

It would never fail that 3 seniors were "killing time" running some incredible number of daily numbers (boxed, straight, whatever) and they would invariably "unfold" a paper with all of them listed.

Coming back later didn't help since another senior would get in line for him to "kill time". This was usually after the coffee club meeting at the local McDonald's w/free refills and a men's room.

 

[javacontour]

Just like there should be a "No Link" line (or whatever your welfare EBC cards are called) at the store, there should be a No Lottery line so folks who just want to buy gas, or pay for the $0.69 44oz bladder buster can do so without waiting for someone to pick which scratch-off card they want.

But I suspect as long as that makes the money, they will keep selling.

If I'm in a hurry, I certainly don't go inside. Pay at the pump and keep on rolling.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
You will never see me buy a lottery ticket. It irks me to wait behind the occasional gambling addict, in line at a gas station. They're always buying fifty dollars worth of tickets, taking 15 minutes to get all of their picks bought, and then buying a pack of smokes and "two dollars on pump seven" to get home.


Or when they win $20 and blow it on 20 more scratchoffs.

 

[Stu_Rock]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Pay at the pump and keep on rolling.

That's the exact reason why I never get around to buying a ticket.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
You will never see me buy a lottery ticket. It irks me to wait behind the occasional gambling addict, in line at a gas station. They're always buying fifty dollars worth of tickets, taking 15 minutes to get all of their picks bought, and then buying a pack of smokes and "two dollars on pump seven" to get home.


Or when they win $20 and blow it on 20 more scratchoffs.



We had one such local critter in the shelter. He actually had a job, but would invariably blow all of his money on scratch off tickets. He would then rip off whomever he had housing arrangements with either with not being able to pay his share ..or raiding the cookie jar under the premise that he'd put it back with his winnings.

He would hit relatively big winnings from time to time. $600-$900 ..but never put that toward living expenses to secure his place. He'd just gamble more ..reasoning that he'd be able to gamble for a living.

He came to "volunteer" at the church that hosted us. I outright asked him what he needed. Just ask. If we have it, you are welcome to it. He was trying to scrounge up something to either sell or trade ..or to give to someone to convince them that he was a nice guy so he could find another haven for him to carry on with his gambling.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Just like there should be a "No Link" line (or whatever your welfare EBC cards are called) at the store, there should be a No Lottery line so folks who just want to buy gas, or pay for the $0.69 44oz bladder buster can do so without waiting for someone to pick which scratch-off card they want.


Better half's parents owned a Newsagent in a town of around 2,000 people in rural part of our state.

Lotteries products were typically $10,000 per day through the register, of which the agent was entitled 5 to 10c in the dollar depending on product...versus 5c per newspaper driving around town, wearing cars out and burning fuel to deliver papers...versus $12 cooking magazines which are paid for up front, and have a return date of 3 years.

Which product do you think they are going to favour ?

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
The percentage of lotto winners that end up broke is staggering.


Probably because fiscally responsible people tend not to be lottery winners, as they are very under-represented in the lottery pool.

There was a house over the road that was part of a deceased estate, that had too much sentimental value for the kids, and fell into advanced disrepair.

Finally a for sale sign went up, asking price $56k...they took $48k.

People who moved in had just won $100k on the lottery, and being set for life, both quit their jobs, and lived the high life in their very own home, not having to answer to anyone.

To give them some credit, they managed 18 months.

 

[Shannow]

Correction, $10k per day was leading up to jackpots.

Was about $3k normally.

 

[Gary Allan]

When you hit a lottery, there's all kinds of friends and relatives that crawl out of the woodwork to help you make it grow to even higher levels of wealth.

One such PA lottery winner was broke. I think it was 50:50 on senseless spending and financing kin in failed business ventures.