Have you or will you buy a lottery ticket?

[cynatnite]

I picked up $20 worth today. Some Powerball and some Mega Millions. I figure you can't dream if you don't play. Plus I don't think it's a bad thing to do if you do it responsibly.

Some years ago I read about a guy who got a $10,000 loan for a big payout lottery.

[Bluzmann57]

1. Yes

Three tickets, three dollars. Guess I can afford that. If we were to match four or five numbers, that would be great. Zero is more realistic but what the heck? One can dream can't they?

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Miscommunication

I got five, hubby got five...

We still have a better chance of getting hit by lightning.

My dad in his old age used to buy ten and ten for each game when he came. He spent forty a week. You know, he played the Mexican lottery as well, I have as well. They got better odds.

[cynatnite]

3. My grandpa has played with the same exact numbers for years now. He won't budge on them...

Of course, no massive inheritence, yet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. What is funny, the most I got was 87 bucks right as the lottery started

And 5000 pesos in Mexico, that be about forty bucks, once. I donated them to the flood fund...it was bad. Literally went from cashing to the bank.

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. I sell them...day in, day out...to literally hundreds (today would be thousands but I'm off).

No, I would never buy a ticket on purpose. Why? Because daily I scan hundreds of losing tickets for people. I'm a winner already because I don't get sucked in.

Good luck though! I don't judge those who do play, it's just a losing proposition and I can put the $1 (or $2 in the case of the stupid Powerball) to better use these days.

[cynatnite]

8. I usually wind up torn between a lottery ticket and a Mounds candy bar....

The candy bar usually wins.

[DefenseLawyer]

5. Better question:

What are the odds that the lucky bastard that wins says something stupid like "I'm not going to quit my job" and causes me to throw something at the tv?

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. If we do, you won't have that worry

[brooklynite]

13. I wouldn't if I won...

...fundamentally, I don't need the additional money, and I enjoy the work I do.

[DefenseLawyer]

17. Someone without $640 million could probably use that job.

That's great that you would keep working, just don't say it on tv and make me throw something!

[brooklynite]

47. Wouldn't it make more sense for me to just pay the other person?

Think of the paperwork savings...

[meow2u3]

6. I got my tickets

I bought $8 worth. I don't usually win on numbers games, but it's fun.

The most I've won on lottery was $500, but that was on a scratchoff.

[Xyzse]

7. I've Only Played Twice

1st time, $1 - Got my Money Back
2nd time, $2 - Got my Money Back

I think I will buy $3 worth this time just for kicks and giggles.

[SteveABG]

10. I have, and will probably buy a few more today

I understand it's a regressive tax and all that.

But buying a few lottery tickets here and there over your lifetime isn't going to amount to much. A thousand bucks, maybe?

That seems like low risk spread over a lifetime for a very high potential. Not to mention the good feeling you get from dreaming about what you'd do with it.

Just don't spend money you don't have on it, and don't go crazy.

[brooklynite]

12. I apply the couch-cushion principle...

I acknowledge that the statistical odds are miniscule, but the marginal value of $1 is equivalent to finding loose change you'd forgotten about under the couch cushions; it can't hurt to have a potential opportunity for a win.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

14. Probably will

I think I calculated once that given the odds of hitting the jackpot, buying a single ticket actually becomes a reasonable investment (i.e., odds of winning multiplied by amount of winnings is greater than the cost of the ticket) when the jackpot reaches $30 million.

That being said, I'm only gonna buy 5 tickets. No need to be a damn fool about it.

[cynatnite]

15. Odds are 1 in 176 million...so I considered buying 176 million tickets...

“First, if it takes five seconds to fill out each card, you’d need almost 28 years just to mark the bubbles on the game tickets. You’d also use up the national supply of special lottery paper and lottery-machine printing ink well before all your tickets could be printed out.” (Also, if just one other person picked the winning number, you’d end up losing $30 million all told.). So, that notion is out.

Read this on Facebook.

[K Gardner]

16. I bought four. First time I've ever bought any. I guess $4 is a small

price to pay for a shred of Hope

[Cirque du So-What]

18. Yep

Bought two tickets for the Mega Millions drawing tonight. Hard to resist when the jackpot is nearly $650M...as if it's hardly worth the trouble if it's only a measly $20M or so.

[Blue_Tires]

42. I've never understood why $50 million is ho-hum, but $600 million starts the stampede

either amount is more than most people could spend in a lifetime...

[Myrina]

19. I will, after someone wins the 'big one' ...

... everyone is so greedy for the gynormous jackpots now, the 'slight' ones of just a couple mill don't seem to get played that much.
Fewer players = greater odds for me. And hell, I'm more than happy with $2Mill.

[NoGOPZone]

20. Never have, won't start now

However, I did once get a lottery ticket as a going away present and wound up winning a small amount.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

21. I almost forgot about it, but I do intend to.

If I win I'll have to thank Democratic Underground for the reminder.

What are the odds, something like 200 million:1? I doubt Skinner and the guys are going to be getting that plug.

[kestrel91316]

22. I have $5 riding on that $540 million jackpot. If I don't win, no big loss.

I normally spend $10/mo at most on the lottery. But I rarely if ever go out to dinner or the movies, so it more than evens out.

[truebrit71]

23. Yes.

Went in with a bunch of folks at work....$5 each

[kudzu22]

24. I bought three

But if I do win then I'll become a 1%er and have to leave DU

[LibertyLover]

25. Yes, I will probably buy a ticket on my way home tonight

I understand about the odds, but, as someone being interviewed this morning on the news put it: I may have a one in two hundred million chance at winning, but it I don't buy a ticket I have zero chances of winning.

[tabbycat31]

26. thinking about it

If I did it would be a birthday present to myself (I turn 32 tomorrow).

[Speck Tater]

27. Money spent on lottery tickets is an ignorance tax

levied on people who don't know enough math to realize what a waste of money it is.

The truth is, your odds of winning when you buy a ticket are very nearly the same as your odds of winning if you never buy a ticket. The difference is if you buy a ticket every week you might actually win sometime between now and the next 29 ice ages.

[joeglow3]

28. Wow, 27 posts for this one

I mean the person who assumes they are much more elightened than everyone else and feels the need to share it, oblivious to the fact that they are a fool as most people spend a few dollars as a form of cheap entertainment.

[Speck Tater]

37. Absolutely.

But as a general rule I get WAY more entertainment value throwing my money away at a movie theater or concert hall.

And let's be honest. We ALL come to DU for the sole reason that we feel the need to share how we feel and what we believe. You yourself felt the need to share how you felt about my post. Isn't that the very spirit of sharing that keeps DU, and all other Internet forums alive and thriving? And if each and every one of us didn't believe that, at least in one aspect or another, we are better informed, more objective, more enlightened, or more intelligent than out fellow posters, well, we wouldn't even be here, would we? We come to DU to give others the benefit of our great wisdom, just as I did with my post, (demonstrating my superior math skills) and just as you did with your reply to my post (demonstrating your superior wisdom and understanding of human nature).

Three cheers for our shared need to share how we feel!

[cynatnite]

31. I think most people are smart enough to know their chances are miniscule to a snowballs chance. n/t

[Burma Jones]

59. Well Duh......

It isn't rational......Not everything has to be rational

[leftynyc]

29. Yes - $5.00

Figure someones gotta win.

[csziggy]

30. Nope. Never have, never will

I don't get any form of gambling. It just makes no sense especially for these big pot lotteries where everyone and their brother are buying in diluting the already abysmal odds.

[cynatnite]

33. The odds aren't diluted...

They are abysmal, but your chances aren't lessened by more people buying a ticket. The numbers of winners are increased and the pot gets smaller the more that have the same number.

A person has a 1 in 176 million chance of winning.

[csziggy]

51. Statistics was the only college course I ever flunked

No wonder!

1 in 176 million chance of winning? I'll put my money into something I have more control of - like the election.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

32. My husband usually buys $5.00 worth of tickets for both MegaMillions and Powerball

every week. Haven't won anything yet, probably never will, but one can always dream about it.!!!

[Motown_Johnny]

44. Never anything?

I win 2 or 3 bucks here and there and I don't play very often. I think your husband might have been holding out on you.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

60. No, Mr. Wonderful's not holding out on me. He never checks to see if he wins anything

He leaves that for me to do. There is a Marathon station right across the street we live on, I go to check the tickets or the 7-11 on the other corner. We don't eat out very much and we never go the movies, so I figure spending $10 bucks a week, is permissible.

[Motown_Johnny]

62. Weird, I had two $3.00 winners last week

of course it cost me twenty bucks to win back those six, but they do count as winners.... sorta.




P.S. I only play when there is a large jackpot so I have been buying tickets lately. $40.00 so far since this jackpot started to build. Once it is over I won't spend any more money on it until it is well over $100 million again.

[oldhippie]

34. Nope. Never.

nt

[Digit]

35. Unemployed, but bought two tickets

That's all I am going to throw away.

[mmonk]

36. Years ago. Now I just get irritated waiting in line to buy something

with all those lottery ticket purchasers in front of me.

[eShirl]

38. 1 or 2 once in awhile, for Dear Husband

I think it has an overall slight negative effect on balance. Unrealistic fantasizing over materialistic things combined with inevitable disappointment. IMO there are less foolish ways to throw away money.

[onenote]

39. Yep.

I find it entertaining. Certainly gives me as much pleasure as a $4 cup of coffee would.

[Denninmi]

40. No. I bought one when I turned 18, because I could.

If I haven't bought another one in the 28 years since, I guess I won't start now.

[Nye Bevan]

41. Winning is like tossing an unbiased coin 27 times in a row

and getting heads every time.

[Motown_Johnny]

43. I spent ten bucks on mega millions

I know the odds are 176,000,000 to 1 against any one of my numbers hitting, but with a payout this large the risk/reward ratio is still in my favor.


I only play when the payout is well above $100 million. At least then the risk/reward ratio is closer to being even.

[RebelOne]

45. Never bought a lottery ticket and never will.

I don't like the disappointment of losing.

[Ian David]

46. I just bought one ticket. And if I win...

... I will buy Democratic Underground, and the only change I will make will be to add a Pornography Group.

Y'all are welcome.

[CTyankee]

48. I won't, but I would love it if a really poor and needy person won.

Altho I know that things usually don't work out for folks when they win these things. A lot of unscrupulous people suck them dry.

I don't want that to happen to someone who is down on their luck and get lucky this one time. I hope for the best...

[Egalitarian Thug]

49. Can't buy 'em here. The corporate mobsters don't allow competition.

But I don't buy 'em when I'm in other states either because I can understand mathematics.

[MadrasT]

50. Once when I was 18 just because I could.

Never again. I'm not much of a gambler.

[Viking12]

52. When I win, I'm starting an anti-Walker Super PAC

and I'm going to get NASTY

[fascisthunter]

53. Lol... yes I did... and I usually do not

oh the donating I would do!!!

[cynatnite]

54. Me, too. Planned Parenthood would be at the top of my list. n/t

[ecstatic]

55. Stood in line for like 20 minutes

and bought 7 tickets. Prior to today, I had not played in years. *Crossing my fingers*

[Raine]

56. Never have & never will nt

[cherokeeprogressive]

57. Yyyyyyep. I calculated that I have a 50/50 chance of winning.

I will either win it, or I won't.

50/50. Them's good odds I think.

[tammywammy]

58. I don't understand all the lotto jargon

I hear the people at the gas station. Quick pic? Multiplier? Bonus ball?

I think I'll go in and spend $5 tonight though. I'm sure Ali will help me get whatever I want.

[Extend a Hand]

61. I paid $2 of my "bad at math tax" ;) n/t.