CASH Only's Blog

I'm planning to leave early in the morning on Monday, October 10. I hope to avoid the morning rush on I-287. After getting on I-80 I plan to drive the 311 miles through PA without stopping in protest of its Unlucky for Life. In Ohio I will be taking I-76 and I-71, looping around Columbus on Columbus Day. My first night will be in western Ohio. The second day will be on I-70 to St Louis, then I-44 to Tulsa. I will be spending two nights with a longtime friend in Jenks. My full day in Oklahoma coincides with the start of the OK Lottery. Day 4 will be driving I-44 and I-40 to Gallup, NM, with a stop to play Lotto Texas and Mega Millions with Megaplier. The next day I will reach California, and get a motel on I-15 after playing MM (with parimutuel prizes) for the same drawing as the TX ticket. The only Saturday in my trip will see me driving to Santa Paula (getting a ticket for CA Super Lotto Plus) and Ventura, with me taking Pacific Ocean water, and coming through LA before stopping for the night in San Bernardino. Day 7 will have me coming back on I-15 and I-40 with a detour to the Nevada state line, then returning to Gallup. The next day will have me coming back to Jenks and one more night. I will then take four days to get home (returning Friday the 21st), buying a ticket for the small-matrix Lotto South in Kentucky, and one for Hot Lotto in West Virginia. I also plan to buy a New Jersey Pick-6 Lotto ticket. Right now I have no intentions of playing Powerball during my trip, but will if the jackpot keeps rolling over.

I once told you about "Superman Sneakers"-Skechers, because most pairs have an "S" on the heels. This afternoon, this Czech man and his girlfriend came to the library to get on the internet. He came over to me and asked me my shoe size, and put his sneaker next to mine. He went to his car, and came back with Skechers wrapped in two plastic bags. Yes, they also have the "S" on the heels! I put them on, and they fit perfectly. Now I can say I'm wearing Superman Sneakers!

Doesn't the "S" on the heel remind you of the Superman symbol?

You all know me for my belief that *all* lottery prizes should either be paid in lump sum, or have a cash option. But I do have strong opinions on other lottery issues. Here in NY state, in which I have lived all of my 41 years, we have a lottery game that, in its various norms, is the longest running "lotto" game in the US (it began in 1978 as a 6/40 game, two plays for $1.) It's biggest problem is that the regulations still dictate that a maximum of 40% of sales be returned in the norm of prizes, a percentage that was common in the years before players could choose their numbers. Even with its cash option (which began in 1996) I do NOT recommend playing this game unless the jackpot is at least $35 million. If you still don't believe me, compare the 5/6, 4/6, and 3/6 prizes in NY Lotto with Florida Lotto, which has roughly the same jackpot odds (FL does not draw a bonus number.)

www.flalottery.com www.nylottery.org

It frustrates me why so many people continue to blow their money on NY Lotto after I try to convince them to switch to Mega Millions (which has better OVERALL odds, and a minimum $2 prize) or try Connecticut Classic Lotto instead. Somehow these people think two games for a dollar is a "great value" when $2 games are starting to become commonplace, and/or believe      NY Lotto is "better" because the odds of hitting the jackpot are not as steep as Powerball or   Mega Millions. These people need to look at the whole game. Chances are, if you play $100 in      NY Lotto over a time, you'll win back only $2 or $3.

My father passed away in July, and, he had two CDs in trust for me totaling almost $40,000. I drive a 1988 Honda Civic (his last car) with 134k miles. I am seriously considering buying a 2005 car in the near future, perhaps next month, and I'm considering a Ford Focus (there is a Ford dealership less than two miles from me.) Yes, I plan to pay for it in LUMP SUM!!

I would like to hear your suggestions.

Georgia and Michigan came up with games in which players would pay their coins to buy tickets. The fact that only three or six tickets won statewide per night, plus no multi-draw option or the ability to buy multiple games on one ticket, IMO doomed the two offerings.

I had proposed a "change game" using a 3/99 mini-lotto normat. Players would pay 25c-99c per ticket just as in the GA and MI games, which were alphanumeric. The 3/99 normat would allow thousands of winners per drawing as follows:

match 3/3- win or share first prize (if no winner, would roll over)                                                                                                 match 2/3- win 100x your wager (eg play 99c, win $99)                                                                                                                 match 1/3- win a free play valued as your original bet                                                                    

In addition, the 3/99 play style would allow multiple wagers on one ticket (at 50c per wager) and multi-draw possibilities (also at 50c/bet).

I know some people aren't going to like the $2 ticket cost, but, get used to it, just like $2 gas.                                              Ca$h Winfall will pay back 60% in prizes (compared to 38%-40% in neighboring NY Lotto 6/59.) I'm just happy that the annuity-only Mass Millions will be retired. Let's hope the upcoming changes to Mass Megabucks will include a cash option.

The five worst online US lottery games are NY Lotto (maximum prize return 40%), Mass Millions (annuity-only, soon to be retired) Mass Megabucks (also annuity-only) Oregon "Win for Life" and Washington state "Lucky for Life" (both games are played like the discontinued New Jersey "Lotzee" and offer a top prize of $1000 a week for life with no cash option).