N.Y. man pleads guilty to stealing to feed his lottery habit

Comment #18

themagician — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:49:47 GMT

Yes, you know, I wonder why, they should do it like in Spain, they have two 6/49 plus one 5/49 too so, you can choose what you want, because the fun is in playing games within your affordable limits. For me, even if it is an small amount, that makes me happy lol

Comment #17

Daveyl — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:56:49 GMT

themagician,

So, they pulled the old Bait and Switch on the French Lotto players, too, eh? It seems the game is to hook people on the idea of easy wealth by gambling, then raise the odds of winning so high, you'll never be able to win. Our 6/49 Jackpots were only a million bucks, but I wasn't complaining about them. Now, with the current setup, you could play until the end of your days and not win an amount worth mentioning.

Comment #16

themagician — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 12:38:01 GMT

yes I agree, nobody is forcing us to play and here they've taken off the old 6/49 and replaced it with the 5+Mega Number Loto.

The old 6/49 was more fun to me because it was cheaper 0.50 cents (1.00 euro=2 tickets) and I could play my wheels and more numbers, and now the 5+Mega is 2.00 euros one ticket with bigger jackpots and bla, bla,

(1 euro=1,3492 dollar)

and as for me sometimes I need to retire from playing for a good long time.. and yes I prefers smallers jackpots and more prizes... [ More ]

Comment #15

rdgrnr — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 03:19:57 GMT

The problem with the schools is the unions and no amount of money from the lottery will ever fix that. In fact it only exacerbates the problem.

I agree that the odds seem a little ridiculous but you know what they say: Nobody is forcing us to play.

Comment #14

Daveyl — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:58:31 GMT

ridge runner, the whole mess has become a bait and switch scam. Our schools were supposed to receive substantial proceeds from lottery sales, and they're still worse than broke. The odds are so staggering against winning even modest amounts from Lotto and Mega Millions games, you might as well write a letter to Santa Claus, asking him to hand you your winnings. Wherever these funds migrate to, they certainly aren't going to benefit the organizations we were originally told they would.

Comment #13

rdgrnr — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:43:34 GMT

So you want better odds, smaller jackpots, more winners. OK, I can understand that.

For a minute there I thought you were out to be the Carrie Nation of the lottery industry.

Comment #12

Daveyl — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:02:54 GMT

ridge runner, I would do away with lotteries the way they are set up now, absolutely. I would also not sanction casinos on indian reservations. California had a decent lottery set up initially, which entailed a 6/49 winning combination. According to lottery officials, people complained about low jackpot amounts, or multiple winners splitting said jackpots. They then established a 5+Mega Number combination which effectively doubled the odds of losing. Players 'dream' about those monstrous jackpot... [ More ]

Comment #11

Coin Toss — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 04:29:52 GMT

........to feed his love of randomly drawn ping-pong balls.

I'm wondering if he was one of the heavies on the Prediction Forum and what name he was using.

Ut oh.....

Comment #10

rdgrnr — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:52:56 GMT

So are you saying we should do away with the lottery?

I don't think I'm getting your point.

Comment #9

Daveyl — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:28:10 GMT

Ridge Runner, we're not discussing a few exceptions to prudent gambling habits, we're talking about millions of people addicted to lotteries and casino gambling. These people bet money obtained from credit card ATMs, friends, casino markers, selling their property (indeed, their own bodies, in some cases..) and in the end stages, stealing money from their work, their families and the public in general. More and more, we're going to hear about such addictions, and how they can be attributed to th... [ More ]

Comment #8

Nino224 — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 05:47:47 GMT

He should've been eschewed from breathing after kidnapping a child.

Comment #7

rdgrnr — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:12:41 GMT

I would prefer to see that one person eschew gambling and not make everybody eschew it. Everybody eschewing it will not excuse her not eschewing it. Even the people in the pews cannot excuse when she chooses to refuse to eschew it. It's herself she screws if she chooses to lose. Yes, it's her own undoing, and possible screwing by not eschewing.

That reminds me, I'm almost out of eschewing tobbaco.

Comment #6

Daveyl — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:49:53 GMT

Dpoly, I wouldn't order the yacht yet. There was some lady who was a news anchor on a major network who acquired a taste for gambling at casinos. She was spending (losing...) huge amounts of money, and she later told of week-long binges of BlackJack playing. She even kept her dog with her in her purse (I don't think she bet the mutt, though..) These are sterling examples why addictions to gaming should convince states to eschew establishing lotteries, or allowing casinos. If they do allow them,... [ More ]

Comment #5

HaveABall — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:45:18 GMT

Badly behaved woman, guess she was no LADY

Comment #4

ttech10 — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:34:45 GMT

Article made me think of an article a while back of a lady from a doctors office who stole $2.3 million (quite a coincidence).

I find these stories pretty crazy that someone would steal that much money to play the lottery and also because of how they never won anything huge after spending so much money, really shows that you can't force a win (the lady won $25,000 once over the course of three years).

https://www.lotterypost.com/news/140429

Comment #3

rdgrnr — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:47:59 GMT

Looks like he should have just kept the $2.3 million he stole and went to Nepal.

It worked pretty good for Joshi when he stole Willis Willis' money. Nobody can find him over there.

Even Bob Seeger said if he ever gets out of here, he's going to Katmandu.

Comment #2

dpoly1 — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:15:23 GMT

I can usually come up with $2 a week ...... so I don't have to steal to cover my lottery habit !

Well .......... Saturday could just be another day .......... but ........... maybe I can get a $61.3M % ROI

Comment #1

Tenaj — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:02:29 GMT

randomly drawn ping-pong balls Some writers are so creative.

N.Y. man pleads guilty to stealing to feed his lottery habit

Lottery Post — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:00:20 GMT

His unlucky numbers turned out to be 5 and 15.

A compulsive lottery player pleaded guilty today to stealing $2.3 million from condo and co-op buildings he managed in Manhattan to feed his love of randomly drawn ping-pong balls.

Richard Bassik, 67, will be sentenced to 5 to 15 years behind bars after accepting a deal that could keep him locked up until death. With time already served, Bassik's best hope for freedom won't come until early 2015.

I hope when he gets out, it'll be on his ow... [ More ]