Anyone notice the HUGE increase of people playing the lottery lately?

[NNN0LHI]

I can't even pay for my newspaper anymore without standing in a line for ten minutes waiting for these people to get done investing in this "faith based" program of making money. Everyone must be waiting for that big hit to get themselves out if debt or something? And its not so amusing anymore.

Don

[underpants]

1. I had a joke thread about this a few weeks ago

It only really bothers me because of the lines.

[UdoKier]

2. It's not faith-based.

But when you've got nothing, and nothing left to lose, what's wrong with investing a dollar in a miniscule chance at solving your financial woes?

Some people blow quite a bit of money on drugs and alcohol. I see nothing wrong with others buy a dream, as long as they don't spend too much on it.

Poor people who buy lottery tickets are fully aware of how slim their chances at winning are. They are also aware that their chances of making it in our rigged economy are slim too.

[kliljedahl]

7. Poor people who buy lottery tickets are fully aware

of how slim their chances at winning are.

No, they're not. Thanks to our Ejukashnel system, they can barely add or subtract, let alone comprehend 86,000,000 to one, or whatever the odds of the "game" they're playing. I would guess that this would apply to at least 75% of Americans, if not more.


http://www.kliljedahl.net

[UdoKier]

8. Well, I'm poor, and I like to buy them, so I'm speaking for myself.

I don't expect anything to happen, but I know for a fact that I won't win if I don't buy one.

[kliljedahl]

48. I worded that poorly

I meant to refer to 75% of the American people, not just poor people.
It was more a statement more about our Ejakashunel system than anything else. My apologies if I inadvertently offended you.

http://www.kliljedahl.net

[Mutley]

50. exactly

same here. i am poor, i buy lottery tickets fairly regularly, i know i have a very very very small chance of winning, but like UdoKier said, you can't win unless you play. It's just a game unless you spend your rent on it... then it's a problem.

[inchhigh]

18. nothing left to lose,

The really sad thing is that when you consider their odds of pulling themselves up out of poverty in today's economy, the Lottery odds start to look pretty good.

[oneold1-4u]

24. Just enough!

To live somewhere else if necessary! Canada doesn't allow those on minimum SS to move there and many nations will soon follow suit. The poor of this nation will be the ones who suffer most in the coming months and years.
It will be no home, no food, no warmth, no health, no personal safety! It is no wonder that so many are willing to take chances in Iraq and Afghanistan to gain financial security and be able to get out.

[0007]

38. The New American Dream - Is geared to make the rich, richer

and preys on the poor with a pipe dream.
Especially folks that can't put food on the table for the family.

[tridim]

3. Yep.. I always want to grab these people and shake some sense into them

You are NOT going to win!

I can't stand people who play while they're in line. They usually win 5 bucks or something and immediately request 5 more scratch offs, and lose.

[The Magistrate]

4. Hard Times, My Friend

"Gambling ptomises the poor what property performs for the rich."

[BlueEyedSon]

5. "The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math."

[sendero]

6. It's pretty sad...

... there are a lot of gambling addicts on the road to ruin via the lotteries.

Word to gamblers - get help. If you aren't ready to do that, at least go to a real casino where the payouts are 90% rather than 50%.

[amazona]

12. definitely the real casino is better

Not only are the pay-offs much higher but you actually get something back for your entertainment dollar -- free drinks, sometimes free snacks, cheap or free buffet, older musicians are frequently performing free, you get out and socialize.

All the fun and social life people get from lottery tickets are complaints from the people waiting in line behind them.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[UdoKier]

16. What casino pays $10 or $20 million payouts?

And what casino can you go to without dropping at least $100? At least lotto only requires a $1 investment.


I'm beginning to think some of this lotto bashing is nothing more than old-fashioned snobbery.

[amazona]

30. they all do, you never heard of Megabucks?

There are lots of linked games and virtually every casino participates. The highest Megabuck pay-out that I know of was to cocktail waitress Cynthia Jay at the old Desert Inn in Vegas for $38 millions but there have probably been others since then.

Lotto requires a $1 investment? Don't think so. No one who plays lotto buys a $1 ticket and never plays again for the rest of their life. Most people who play spend tens of dollars every week. I know someone who was signed up on a credit card deal to buy lotto tickets in the various states. Every month $72 just gone off her credit card with no return. For nothing. Absolutely no service or entertainment provided at all. It's sickening.

Lotto bashing is simple math. My state (Louisiana) returns 50 cents of every dollar to the lotto player -- almost all of that to a very few top winners. Any casino in my state returns 90 cents of every dollar to the slot player -- and many table games have a better return. The skilled player can actually win at blackjack, and don't tell me it isn't so, because I made a living that way myself for several years.

If it is "snobbery" to point out that lotto is a bad buy, then so be it. If people want to win at gambling, they can make a choice to educate themselves and win. At the very least, if winning is too much trouble, then they can educate themselves and get better value for the dollar. If they want to throw away money on a fantasy, then no one is stopping them, but I am entitled to consider them exactly as motivated and intelligent as they have demonstrated themselves to be.

By the way, if you think we are all high-rolling snobs in the casino, I invite you to go to a real casino. Most patrons are older people, and plenty are retirees who are not one bit above traveling in an RV instead of a high roller suite. They just expect some action and entertainment for each dollar they spend. Why not? They are getting something for the money. The lotto player gets nada.

As I explained to my folks, "I'm not interested in the hundred million dollars I'm not going to win. I'm interested in the hundred dollars I will win."

If you want a decent chance of winning some money to pay some bills today, almost anything is better than lotto. If you want a fantasy and some entertainment, again, the casino gives back more -- even the bingo hall gives back more!

Lotto is too often about taking advantage of people who don't know anything or go anywhere, kind of like certain ghetto grocery stores that charge super-high prices that middle class people would never, ever pay for the same item because they can travel and get value for money elsewhere.

If being a smart consumer is snobbery, call me a snob!

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[UdoKier]

33. I have heard of megabucks, it's essentially a lottery.

The odds of winning a megabucks jackpot via a slot machine is probably even lower than lotto jackpots!

And if you get a thrill sitting in a smoky casino and winning a couple hundred bucks, more power to you, but don't try to pass yourself off as a wiser consumer than the lottery player who plunks down $1 or $5 a week for a tiny chance at something.

An extra $100 would do absolutely nothing for me, anyway.

As for ghetto groceries, check-cashing joints, liquor stores, etc. I couldn't agree more. They prey on the poor. But it's not just poor people that play the lotto, and not all poor people are so stupid as to blow a whole paycheck on lotto tickets. YOu guys are being snobs because you're implying that all poor people, or all people who buy a lottery ticket are too stupid to buy in moderation or too ignorant to be aware of the odds. That's bullshit.

And there are PLENTY of people with gambling addictions who have been taken to the cleaners by casinos.

Get off your high horse. Enjoy your games, but don't spew blanket insults on people because of some stereotype you've bought into, unless you want me to call you an old chain-smoking broad with a bouffant, cat-eye glasses, and calluses from pulling the slot lever all day.

[amazona]

45. you clearly don't know what the game is

I'm not on a high horse. It is simply that I have expert experience in this area, and you do not know what you are talking about. I wish I had a more tactful way to say it but I think you have to acknowledge that you are completely confused about some very basic facts. It is hard to admit we've been scammed, especially over a period of years, but at best you've been given a very incorrect impression.

Megabucks is not a lottery. It is a slot machine. By law, casinos have to return a certain amount of all money put in the slot machines back to the player as winnings. Lottery under state law returns 50 cents of each dollar played. Megabucks in most jurisdiction returns 88 or 90 percent or even higher of each dollar played. I have seen Megabucks machines marked that return 98 percent of each dollar played.

Now I do not play Megabucks myself. I do not play any slot machine unless I have identified a very rare situation where I have the advantage -- say the machine is paying out $1.10 for every dollar played.

Nonetheless, it's undeniable that Megabucks is a better deal than the lottery. It is simply the law.

I would prefer to discuss based on facts rather than emotion and name-calling. The knowledge I have is valuable. I know that, because it has made me a lot of money (I used to live on it) and it has made many people I know a lot of money.

If winning money threatens people, and I do accept that it does, then fine. There comes a time when I am just casting pearls before swine, and I am happy to retreat.

But if people want to win or at least lose less, then I am going to speak up and tell them how.

You know why? Because someone spent a lot of time showing me the math and setting me straight, and it did change my life. I have no debt. My house is mine, free and clear, not the bank's. My cars are mine, free and clear.

What lotto player can say that, honestly? And in the rare situation where you do win, because it's a state operation, then your name must be revealed and you are instantly descended upon by a flock of vultures. When I win in the casino, I can and often do ask that my real name not be revealed to anyone except the U.S. Treasury Department.

I am not trying to argue with you, really. I am trying to inform you. I hope when we discuss an area where you have special expertise, then you will be sure to share your expertise with me. I'm here to learn and, where I can, to share.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[UdoKier]

47. Do you work for the casino industry?

You seem to be working hard to shill for them. Megabucks is a pari-mutuel game, same as the lottery. The payout ratio may be different, but that doesn't change the fact that a person's chance of winning a 6 or 7 figure jackpot is miniscule, just as it is with the lotto.

Are you trying to claim that you paid off your debts and made a living by wise investing at a casino? Come on. Casinos are not in the business of making gamers rich, any more than the lotto is.

I don't think you are trying to be informative. You're trying to promote an industry that fleeces people. I don't deny that the chances of winning the lotto are very slim, but the moment you try to say that the chances of walking away from a casino with more money than you came in with are good, I call BS.

[UdoKier]

14. I've bought between $1~$5 per week worth for years.

It is not a significant amount of money even for someone on a low income like myself. I seldom drink, don't smoke, so what if I like to buy a little bit of a dream now and then.

And I don't gamble with the exception of the lottery.


As for casinos, sure, you can win a few hundred bucks more easily, but you're that much more likely to blow your winnings at the casino right away, and there is zero chance of a life-changing jackpot in a casino. A few hundred or a few thousand dollars would make no difference whatsoever in my life, so I have no interest in playing for it.


I suppose if you want to put in the effort to become a real card shark, casinos could be a more profitable venture, but I've never been great at cards.

[sendero]

22. Believe me.....

.... the folks I'm talking about spend hundreds a week. I'm not talking about a few bucks, there's nothing wrong with that.

You have to give fate an avenue to make you lucky :)

[amazona]

39. this is completely untrue statement

there is zero chance of a life-changing jackpot in a casino. A few hundred or a few thousand dollars would make no difference whatsoever in my life, so I have no interest in playing for it.



You haven't ever been in a casino, have you? There are life-changing jackpots and promotions taking place all the time. I know too many people personally who have won such jackpots.

Shall I list a few? Now I'm not talking about someone I read about in the paper or saw on the news. I'm talking people I met and have known for years.

In return, why don't you list the number of people you know PERSONALLY who have won life-changing sums of money at lotto?

1. Friend won $296,000 on a Caribbean stud jackpot in Biloxi. If you can't turn your life around with that, I can't help you. $5 bet if I recall correctly.
2. Friend won a house in a Vegas drawing/promotion. Since it was a drawing, er, he didn't spend any money. It was a free bet. He sold the house for $80,000. It changed his life, as he was able to start his own now very successful business with the money.
3. Friend won $125,000 playing roulette on the Coast in one night. He could have won more but the casino finally lost its nerve and threw him out. I was there and witnessed his play. It was fun to watch that kind of win in a few hours. OK, his life wasn't changed. He was already rich. But he set a goal and he achieved a goal. It was still nice to see.
4. Friend won a Corvette. She signed it over to a relative and he paid $26,000 of her debts for her. I'd call that a nice hit. I was there for that one too.
5. Friend won $10,000 in a free lady's only promotion. She lived in a trailer, and the money allowed her to put an addition to improve her quality of life. Yeah, I was there, I saw it.
6. Partner won $10K in another free promotion. We were five figures in debt at that time. With his win and a few smaller ones of my own chasing the promotions, we paid all our debts.

It is true that most money is made by learning how to find promotions, play the promotions, or else by developing skilled play, especially at blackjack. Most winners don't win it all in a night. Only losers look for a one-time hit. It's like what they say about the market: Bears make money, and bulls make money, but pigs get slaughtered.

I don't want to make you feel bad. What's done is done. But if you think $260 ($5 a week for 52 weeks) a year doesn't make any difference, you might be surprised. Check out a few financial sites and learn how such a sum, in a tax-sheltered account such as an IRA, might have been growing for all those years. You are going to be shocked.

People in a hurry to get rich quick rarely enjoy success.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[UdoKier]

44. You've got remarkably lucky friends.

and I would spend a lot more than $5 in gas if I had to drive to the nearest casino...

[amazona]

46. no i have smart friends

It's funny how often chance and luck favors the prepared mind.

If you are not prepared to do anything to improve your chance of winning, even drive a bit out of your way, then I can't help you. No one can help you. In the end, unless we are born with a silver spoon, life is about effort. My friends and I spent time gathering information, identifying the promotions and games with the best odds, and then (gasp!) actually driving to the games and playing the games with the best odds. It changed my life, and it changed the life of many around me.


But no one can do it for you. Until you want it badly enough to do something to make yourself a winner, it is highly unlikely that you will win.

Getting a bit preachy here, so I'll hush up.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[UdoKier]

51. You would have to spend a LOT of time and money

to even have a chance at results like those you are citing.

And of course I've been in casinos. The Fremont, Caesar's, Circus Circus, Excalibur, not to mention a few Indian casinos, and I've NEVER left one with more money than I came in with.

And I HAVE entered the promotions on occasion, again to no avail.

You sound like a shill for the industry, IMO.

[theboss]

9. My grandpa was a degenerate gambler

So, I thought everyone played the lottery.... and placed ten to fifteen parlays a weekend....and played cards for two days without sleep....and went to the track twice a week.

Anyway, I have two bookies in my family too. I have no perspective on this issue.

[Democrats_win]

10. Workers tired of "kiss-up, kick down" assholes.

[MadHound]

11. Predictable response in bad economic times.

When times are tough, people tend to do more small time gambling, drink more, and watch more movies. Escapism, escapism, escapism, that's the name of the game. Lotteries let the person fantansize for a couple of days, drink and drugs,for a few hours or days, movies for couple of hours.

In fact this is so predictable that it is a wise investment move, investing in escapism. Put your money in movies or the alcohol business, and you will make a good profit the next few years as our economy tanks.

[Squatch]

13. A chance at 144,000,000 is hard to pass up.

I play whenever the lotto goes over 100mil.

[LSK]

37. but 1 million isnt worth your time???

I could retire on 1mil.

[Mutley]

55. me too!

;-)

[nonconformist]

15. It's the New American Dream

So much for home ownership and a stable job with benefits! The only real way to get ahead in this country anymore is to be uber-rich, hence the lottery.

Sign of the times, I'm afraid.

That said, I too dream of one day winning the lottery. The bitch of it is I never actually play the lottery. :P

[notadmblnd]

17. The lottery hasn't been played in my house

since my husband died. Savings is about 100.00 a week. He was convinced he was going to strike it rich winning the lotto.

[UdoKier]

19. Wow. That's a LOT to spend on the lotto.

Not to mention, it would take a while just to buy that many tickets, waiting for them all to print out.

I can't imagine spending nearly 1/4 off my income on lottery.


And if he was spending say, 1/10 of his income on lotto, what the hell did he need the jackpot for? He was doing great!

[notadmblnd]

20. that was over a week

he averaged about $20 a day. He was a lucky guy with 3 and 4 digit. Never hist the lotto though.

[BlueEyedSon]

21. "All you need is a dollar and a delusion."

[Jose Diablo]

23. I think when the government started in the lottery business

it was an acknowledgment from the powers to be, that America, "the land of opportunity", was closing the doors to opportunity and by and large future opportunities would not depend of effort, but pure luck. The luck of a lottery was the way to win, because the wealthy would now step in and take most of the opportunities for themselves and their own.

It was seen in the early 80's as Reagan attacked the middle class and the poor. It was seen as corporations began the long battle of perpetual cutbacks, 10% a year were rated poor performers not because they were, but because that was the target to cutback. You know, the way to becoming 'mean and lean'. Remember?

Then Bu$h1 did his thing, meaning more for less.

Clinton, well NAFTA and 'free trade' certainly wasn't good for a vast majority of people. I don't share with many here their fawning over 'slick' Willie, or his wife.

And now we have Bu$h2. More of the same. Why is anyone surprised?

The way things used to be was hard work, thrift and a keen eye for opportunity mattered. Those days are long gone. For the poor, let them eat cake, buy lottery tickets too. After all, 'somebody' has to win, right? Think if it as a poor mans investment portfolio.

[LiberallyInclined]

29. fawning over slick willie and the mrs.-

i don't get it either, jose...

NAFTA
WTO
Telecommunications Act
Defense of Marriage Act
Welfare "Reform"

and this guy is the pride of the democrats??? :crazy:

[tubbacheez]

25. The problem with any sudden windfall is old habits.

Humans are creatures of habit. And because of this, winning a lottery (as improbable as that already is) has little chance of making a significant change in the winner's life.


Most lottery players have no idea what to do with their winnings. Sure, most know they shouldn't go bananas and splurge. Most say they will be very conservative with their newfound cash. And most succeed in that; only about 15% of all lottery winners go on spending binges.

And yes, lottery winners do things like pay off debts, buy neccessities, and maybe a few gifts. Most winners keep their day jobs. Great stuff, of course.



But these are all things the winner has been thinking of, or hoping to do, for quite some time. The mind is educated and ready for all that.

The mind is not ready to handle the intricacies of large-scale investing. It is suddenly thrust into a financial world that most every other member with similar assets took a rough road to arrive at.

When the investment predators show up, the lottery winner has little education or experience to work with.

The worst cases convince themselves that the same good fortune that resulted in their winnings will somehow guide them to good investments for their needs.



And there's some statistic out there claiming that, while most lottery winners still possess most of their winnings 1 year later, most lottery winners have lost most of their winnings within 5 years... primarily to bad investments.

[LiberallyInclined]

31. a lot of them sell their annuities for up-front cash.

a lot of the big lottery prizes are paid out in installments under an annuity- except for the ones that allow you to take less in a lump-sum payment.
lots of times the 'winner' will overspend on their annual amount, then have to sell their annuity at a cut-rate to cover their debt.

[tubbacheez]

32. Yup, only a VERY disciplined and educated person

would stand a decent chance of transforming lottery winnings into sustainable wealth.


I don't know anybody even remotely like that, rich or poor.

[LiberallyInclined]

35. i could.

i could easily turn as little as $1million into "sustainable wealth"...

i can luive very simply for a long time in a tropical place.

[tubbacheez]

41. Well, I'm glad I met you here then!

:yourock:

[quinnox]

26. Lotto is super popular

That's why they can offer all those big prizes because so many people play it.

Where I live there are specialized machines where you buy tickets so the only line would be for other lotto players so when I buy a ticket (usually once or twice a month) there aren't any lines.

I find it entertaining to buy a ticket every so often, whether or not I win.

[hector459]

27. Almost a bad a throwing all that money at a military contractor.

I know it's a losing game but just the prospect of a windfall and a way out of a desperate situation gives some people at least something.

[bikebloke]

28. I worked with a bloke....

...who had already spent around $400 trying to win $500. He said he couldn't stop until he won his investment back.

I think it was some who comedian who said playing the lottery was like playing Rusian roulette with 999,999 rounds and one blank.

[Bunny]

34. I normally spend a buck a day on the Cash 5.

Pick all five numbers, win at least 100K, lots of times more because it rolls over till someone wins.

This is the only one I usually play, because I can afford it, the odds of actually winning something are better, and 100K would suit me fine. I wouldn't be stinking rich, but I could pay off some bills and have a decent nest egg, or a down payment on a nicer house. I'd still have to go to work, but this would just make things so much more comfortable, I think.

Anyway, I do find myself fantasizing more than usual about winning the lottery. When there are economic hard times, the lottery becomes more attractive, if still just as futile.

As an aside, I play the same numbers in the Cash 5, every day. The week between Christmas and New Years was very busy, and I didn't play my ticket. So naturally, four out of my five numbers hit. I would have won $300 if I had played, which would have almost recouped my lottery expenses for the year! Sigh.

[quinnox]

40. thats why I don't play pre-picked numbers

I always do random numbers because if I played the same numbers I would want to play every drawing so that if my numbers came up I would win and not regret missing the one drawing where they luckily did hit.

[Bunny]

43. Yeah, I had some regret about not playing that week.

I could have used the 300 bucks. But nowhere near the regret I would have felt if all five of my numbers came up and I hadn't played!!

And incidentally, don't you think that $300 bucks is a little stingy when you get four out of five numbers? I would think the prize should be WAY bigger than that! :)

[quinnox]

49. it is stingy

four out of five is damn close and should pay out more

[Walt Starr]

36. A buck a shot for hope is pretty damned cheap

Spend a buck, get some hope. Nothing too mysterious about it if you ask me.

[ProfessorGAC]

42. That's What I Think Too Walt

It's unfortunate, however, that too few people really understand the odds. Spending a buck for hope is cost effective and reasonable. But, people dropping $50 a week when they only make $15k a year, is depressing. I think the lottery commissions should be more accountable for making sure people understand the odds, not just publish the numbers.

There is a professor i know from DePaul that did a PBS show about the lottery. In it, he said that the odds of dropping a quarter off the roof of the Sears Tower and landing it in a coffee cup was better than winning the lottery, so he never buys them.

I saw him about 2 months later. I told him, that when the prize is greater than the odds, i buy $1. First, i told him that he did something wrong with his Sears Tower calculation, because he obviously ignored the affect of wind and air resistance changes on a tumbling quarter. Secondly, i gave his a statistical zinger. I may buy one ticket and only have a 1 in 114 million chance of winning. He has ZERO chance. Hence, my chances are INFINITY greater than his. That shut him up! (Actually, we get along fine. I was zapping him out of camaraderie.)
The Professor

[amazona]

52. where YOU were wrong in your "zinger" :-)

Actually, some years back a math professor showed that a person who never played the lottery and a person who does play the lottery actually have about the same shot of winning. Reason -- the non-player gets given gifts of lottery tickets by friends and relatives who don't understand. Buying additional lottery tickets increases your chances of winning by so little that just getting those occasional gifts is enough to put you in the running to get struck by lightning. I believe that the study is correct because I've had math illiterate friends do that very thing. "Here, I know you'll never buy a lottery ticket so here's one for you since you're so lucky, maybe you'll win something."

I wasn't lucky, I worked for my wins, but the lottery players don't want to hear it and after awhile it is bullying to insist that people confront the fact that they could play a winning game instead of a losing one. Someone has to lose, might as well be those who line up so eagerly to do it.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[ProfessorGAC]

53. I Wasn't Wrong

In my discussion with him, i used the reference of "this weekend's lottery". So, i was more specific than in the quick write up i provided earlier. My fault.

That being said, i would question the validity of that math professor conclusions. As a many times published expert in the field of statistical mechanics and analysis, i would have to believe that the confidence interval of that professor's conclusions would be at best 67%. And that's being generous. As a matter of fact, i would have to see the work itself to believe that he didn't just make it up.

The Professor

[Jose Diablo]

56. Actually another way to figure the odds of winning

could be said like this.

The odds of winning the lottery by buying a ticket are only slightly more than throwing a dollar out the window of you car as you passed the store.

Buying the ticket, say 1:86,000,000 versus throwing the dollar out the window, 0.

The 1:86,000,000 is very very close to zero. So why not just throw it out the window, that way you know and do not spend any time whatsoever dreaming whatif, you can then dream something that has much better odds. Maybe something that will work.

I think that would be a better way to live, than empty dreams.

[ProfessorGAC]

57. Too Practical. Overly Logical

The point of the lotto is to dream. (Other than raising money by the state.) Like Walt said, $1 to buy a day of high hopes and dream some good dreams is well spent.
The Professor

[Jose Diablo]

58. Same thing as smoking opium

lay in a roach infested bed, smoke some dope and dream. What is wrong with this picture, am I the only one that sees the wasted time and thus the life?

Is peoples time so valueless that they prefer to dream of hopeless dreams, rather than working to make a good dream true? Maybe so, I guess. People have too much time to waste. Or maybe, they are unable to dream of things that can come true. That can happen to the poor also, to lose hope and the ability to dream.

[catmandu57]

54. The road to riches

in amerikkka is paved with lotto tickets and lawsuits. Lawsuits however, are about to be taken out of the equation.
I haven't any bitch about people throwing a few bucks at a dream occasionally, it's like everything else when it gets to the point of interfering with ones life, then its time to do something.