Oregon Lottery to start new raffle game

Comment #11

Todd — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:33:53 GMT

No, that's not an appropriate odds calculation because every ticket sold is $20.

If you were playing regular lotto, where tickets sell for $1, and you bought $20 worth of tickets, then you could apply some kind of per-dollar odds calculation, but you can't do that when the base price is $20.

It i more appropriate to compare it to a $20 scratch-off that only has a printing of 250,000 tickets, rather than the millions they normally print.

People play the raffle games BECAUSE there are on... [ More ]

Comment #10

qutgnt — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:34:17 GMT

Yeah the odds might be 125k to 1 to win a raffle but on a dollar by dollar basis a $20 ticket is like hitting a 2.5 million to one lotto for a buck.

It is just another way to screw with the numbers to make it APPEAR that your odds are so great.

The only benefit of a raffle game to the common player is lack of churn. Only high tier prizes are rewarded. So this lotto makes more sense to play when looking for the life changing score. The reason most lotteries pay out 2 of 5 or 3 of 6 is

Comment #9

Stack47 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:34:44 GMT

I went to Reno, Nevada for 5 days and played some pick-4 combos for that week. I stopped at a store on my way home from the Airport to get a Coke and saw where one of my combos hit straight. The problem was I forgot where I put the tickets but I finally remembered after 30 minutes of going through my desk drawers; they were in the glove compartment in my car.

After that experience I decided to put them into an envelope marked lottery tickets and place it and keep it on top of everything else... [ More ]

Comment #8

ThatScaryChick — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:19:38 GMT

If you can't keep track of a ticket for 2-3 months how can you keep track of a ticket for 2-3 days?

That's not really the same thing. 2-3 days is a lot different then 2-3 months. I'm not saying it's hard to keep track of things, but to say if you can't keep track of something for months then you can't for days.

Comment #7

wizeguy — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:55:00 GMT

I have two piles on my computer desk... tickets still good and expired tickets. they are on opposite sides of the desk. Keeping track isn't all that hard. If you can't keep track of a ticket for 2-3 months how can you keep track of a ticket for 2-3 days

Comment #6

MaddMike51 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:31:37 GMT

The only thing that I don't like about raffles,other than not winning,is you have to hold on to the ticket for 2 or 3 months before they hold the drawing.To much chance of losing your ticket.

Comment #5

wizeguy — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:09:59 GMT

Raffles are great! Ohio's was on New Year's Eve iirc. They made great stocking stuffers

Comment #4

Todd — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:15:07 GMT

They can't return 85% because the lottery is strictly controlled by the laws under which it was setup. Government lotteries are started to create a lot of revenue for the states, so they will always have this kind of return, give or take.

Raffles of any kind are not for people who want to pick their numbers. There are lots of other games for that.

Have you ever picked your own numbers when you play a 50/50? If you win the 50/50 are you really concerned that it only returned 50%? If you los... [ More ]

Comment #3

LckyLary — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:02:41 GMT

They take out 50 cents per dollar wagered. Same ratio as Pick-3, Pick-4, etc. And you can't even pick your own numbers. Of course on bigger prizes it becomes more like taking out 66 cents due to taxes. I don't understand why they can't return 85%+ like the slot machines claim to. If players won more often they'd play more often..eventually playing back most of the winnings..so 85% would still give the State their usual share anyway.

Comment #2

GamerMom — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:38:37 GMT

there was a FLA lottery raffle last year; my MIL and I loved it. i wish they would bring it back. This summer gas giveaway crap just isn't cutting it.

Comment #1

Todd — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:12:23 GMT

Glad to see Oregon giving a raffle a try. You can see how the lower ticket price affects the number of $1 million prizes offered. However, the odds are similar to other raffles: someone buying $20 worth of tickets will have a 1 in 125,000 shot at winning $1 million.

Oregon Lottery to start new raffle game

Lottery Post — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:04:44 GMT

Officials hope the game will attract players lost when a smoking ban takes effect

In January, the Oregon Lottery will tread into territory dominated by schools, churches and other charitable causes: the raffle.

Tickets will be $10 each the priciest yet for a single lottery ticket in Oregon for a chance to win $1 million, as well as a number of $20,000 and $100 prizes. Unlike other lottery gambling, sales will be limited to 250,000 tickets.

We sell a limited amount of tickets, so th... [ More ]