would you still play?

Reply #43

pigsNtrees — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:05:47 GMT

It all depends on how much I won. Say over 20 million after all is said and done. No. Less than twenty. Yes. Either way I would still buy scratch-offs.

Reply #42

LOTTOMIKE — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 04:36:52 GMT

your right bev.i see nothing wrong with a couple bucks.i just wouldn't spend anything more than that.

Reply #41

BevsPicks — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 10:46:41 GMT

Yes. I would spend my usual $3.

Reply #40

LOTTOMIKE — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 23:37:42 GMT

your right the losers pay the winners........

Reply #39

Coin Toss — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 18:15:53 GMT

That doesn't seem right, Mega Millions starts out at $12,000,000 and the jackpot goes up until it's hit. The increasing jackpot comes from ticket sales.

As in any form of gambling, the losers pay the winners.

Reply #38

megamillionaire — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 14:00:39 GMT

If you play now, with the odds as high as they are why would you stop playing? Besides it'll give you something to really carp and cry about.

Reply #37

BaristaExpress — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 01:42:46 GMT

Now let me think about this for a second, (seconds up), Heck yes, most people would still play MM. Most here are a gambler (in some shape or form) and it wouldn't matter one way or the other what MM does to the matrix! Besides with the hopes and dreams of hitting the big one one-day is the biggest lure of all and the bragging rights of saying your system/ hard work finally paid off! The latter is most likely! And that's the truth and you all know it

Reply #36

LOTTOMIKE — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 05:50:20 GMT

thanks for the feedback.i for one hope they don't raise it any more......

Reply #35

Shane3 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:40:07 GMT

If they increase the cost to play or they incresead the amount of balls.....I would not play anymore. These people are making money no matter what....and it seems like true capitalist greed for them to think of increasing it just because more people have been hitting it lately.

Actually what has happened is that MM has gotten wind of the fact that more people are unto their scam of selecting the set of numbers that pay out the least. so every once in a while they throw us a bone by allowing

Reply #34

guesser — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 05:22:04 GMT

I look at it this way:

I don't play to hit the Powerball JACKPOT, I play to hit the 5 white balls, which is 200K. I TRY to hit the red ball, I had a pretty good string going at one time, but lately I'm not counting on it, if I could, I'd wheel it.

And I 'usually' don't play the numbers in the 50's because lately they don't hit much, and even if they do hit, it's not that often.

(Of course, now that I say that, 3 of the 5 winning numbers will be from between 50 and 55)

All I kno... [ More ]

Reply #33

emilyg — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:18:39 GMT

no - i would not play.

Reply #32

Rip Snorter — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 01:04:28 GMT

There's something about those numbers above that's nagging at me.

Every time a lottery rolls:

The states get half the money from the sales in their own states.The other half, in theory, goes back into the pot in order to raise the jackpot, with some small percentage being forfeit to MM for operating expenses.

On the April 18 jackpot win there'd been $168 M in ticket sales for the draw two days before the draw.

That number might well have doubled during the next two days.

Okay. Th... [ More ]

Reply #31

Rip Snorter — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 17:34:45 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by ryanm on June 18, 2006 While increasing the matrices does usually result in higher average jackpots, it also increases the threshold at which draw sales take off, as evidenced by the following blurb from The Texas Lotto Report:

_________________

Mega Million Sales Are Terrible!

Here's 3 jackpot comparisons ...

April 16, 2002 - $325M Jackpot - Draw Sales: $168,869,999

Feb 20, 2004 - $230M Jackpot - Draw Sales: $112,392,806

Nov 15, 2005 - $315M Jackpot - Draw Sa... [ More ]

Reply #30

ryanm — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 15:50:02 GMT

Those sales aren't just for Texas; they are the total for all the Mega Millions states.

Reply #29

pumpi76 — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 11:53:54 GMT

ryanm if that's a total sales from one draw to the next in Tx, then if you say that everyone played 5.00 then there will be 32 million players that play for that particular week. And the population of Tx is 20 million..I don't think every citizen of texas went and bought a ticket: )

..More important than winning all the world's lotteries is the creation of a Lotto Stock Market...

Reply #28

Rip Snorter — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 03:59:13 GMT

Pumpi:

I drive a 1990 Toyota 4 Runner with a quarter-million miles on it. Bought it for a thousand bucks 100,000 thousand miles ago and never owed a penny on it. The only thing about it that took 5 years was the Isuzu Trooper I drove before it with a quarter million miles on it to wear out sufficiently to cause me to have to replace it.

You make a good point. What it costs to live and how long it takes to acquire is in the eyes of the consumer. I read somewhere recently there's an old... [ More ]

Reply #27

Clairvoyance — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 03:23:22 GMT

Cars are always worth more when the dealer has it, but when you have it, it's not worth anything

Reply #26

Clairvoyance — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 03:16:15 GMT

Sever the tiny thread that connects lotteries and jackpot amounts to reality. Instead of just billboarding a phony amount and having real winners hold a phony-sized check, sell tickets, announce winners using hired actors with fabricated histories from imaginary places. Two advantages here. They can announce jackpots as large as they like, thereby pushing the envelop for whatever it takes to get the most ticket sales, and they never have to give any money away.

Don't they do thi... [ More ]

Reply #25

pumpi76 — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 03:12:39 GMT

to ryanm: Are those only texas sales? And they are from one draw to the next is that correct? Can anyone clarify for me please?

To dvdiva: You took the words out of my mouth, you nailed it. Yeah to someone dumb it might take them 5 years, and get in debt over a car. But i forgot you might have different eyes than me (uhm, uhm)...And again some people don't see the world the same way other do, and not everyone has the same pride...The sad reality is that is 5 years to pay for a car every 10 ye... [ More ]

Reply #24

Coin Toss — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 02:50:24 GMT

ryanm

Since those draw sales are posted on the Texas Lotto Report I'm thinking those are the sales for Texas. If so then that's not so terrible at all.

Reply #23

Rip Snorter — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 02:37:20 GMT

Actually there are three other options you haven't mentioned:

Lengthen the annuity timespan so's to make the jackpots appear larger without doing anything at all. That one has the advantage of allowing an increase in ticket prices by a buck without a raise in the cost of doing business, sometime shortly thereafter. Everyone on the inside rakes off 100 percent more without any change in the odds, ticket sales remain high, and everyone gets a pay raise.Vote the graveyards using a technique si... [ More ]

Reply #22

dvdiva — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 02:18:50 GMT

It takes 5 years only if you are foolish enough to go into debt for a car.

It's the declining sales that make me think the price might change. The 300 million pot has to be put into perspective since at that time Powerball also was having 300 million pots. Now no game is getting big so sales might be higher when it finally does break 300.

Reply #21

ryanm — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 01:42:27 GMT

While increasing the matrices does usually result in higher average jackpots, it also increases the threshold at which draw sales take off, as evidenced by the following blurb from The Texas Lotto Report:

_________________

Mega Million Sales Are Terrible!

Here's 3 jackpot comparisons ...

April 16, 2002 - $325M Jackpot - Draw Sales: $168,869,999

Feb 20, 2004 - $230M Jackpot - Draw Sales: $112,392,806

Nov 15, 2005 - $315M Jackpot - Draw Sales: $104,813,365

_________________

You can fin... [ More ]

Reply #20

pumpi76 — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 21:56:25 GMT

MISSING PIECE:

with the ultimate lotto forecast website....Laugh all you want, but remember it takes 30 years to pay off a house, 26 years to see a kid develop, 5 years to pay off a car every 20 years and the average life-span is 72...

...Bullets don't kill people: incoming electronic missiles do...

...More important than winning all the World's lotteries, is finding a way to crack pick3 pick4....

Reply #19

pumpi76 — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 21:34:15 GMT

dvdiva: Adding 2 balls to the game [not the bonus ball] will not result in low sales. i'll guess that 99.9778% of Powerball players are ignorant about lotteries. They see the jackpot money not if 2 balls were added. Remember is a multi-state game. If Powerball was played in 1 state, then yes, there is a probablilty it could lower sales..I say the sales will remain the same...You also need to know the amount/quantity of new players to every draw. I think the amount of players for Powerball is the... [ More ]

Reply #18

dvdiva — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 18:58:25 GMT

Any change will result in a short term down turn in sales. However if sales are already down from low jackpots then there is less risk.

Reply #17

pumpi76 — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:06:51 GMT

Coin toss you are so right. It wouldn't surprise me if the state has been monitoring this site, and post like this too.

i am sorry, i totally missed it, i was kind of selfish, [just to make you see where avarice could take you] not only would i want them to increase the second prize jackpot of 5of 6 but they should go ahead and increase the third prize [4of 5 + bonus ball]. It currently pays 10,000. If they added 1 more ball, they should increase the third prize [4of 5 + bonus ball] to... [ More ]

Reply #16

psykomo — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 04:46:47 GMT

......but,,,,,,,,,,,,they won't MESS with MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EITHER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they may be crazzzzzzzziiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee but not STUPID .....................----------yettttt !!

LOL

PSYKOMO

Reply #15

Coin Toss — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 04:21:26 GMT

I've said this before, it would not surprise me one bit if the lottery officials of a state or a few states monitored this board. If they indeed do just that, it also wouldn't surprise me if they didn't monitor threads like this one especially close, in fact, making bets among themselves that no matter what the proposed matrix, someone will still say, Sure, I'd play.

Take that a step further, and it wouldn't surprise me if in the future, one of those matrixes was increased to a point where... [ More ]

Reply #14

dvdiva — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 04:13:46 GMT

Well if Mega can't get it up so to speak then there are three choices.

1. Do nothing and watch sales tank.

2. Change the price of each ticket to $2 instead of $1.

3. Change the matrix of the game.

In all three options people will complain. Option one results in complaints from participating states about low sales and players wanting large jackpots. Option two results in complains about the price conscience and the $1 players (who become $2 players). Option three gets the usual com... [ More ]

Reply #13

psykomo — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 04:02:37 GMT

NO ..........my mama told

me to not PLAY the LOTTERY in the first PLACE...................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't Mess with MAMA

LOL

PSYKOMO

Reply #12

JimmySand9 — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 00:28:24 GMT

It all depends. What are the overall odds? I don't really care about winning a jackpot, seeing it probably will never happen, but I do care, very much, about my odds of breaking even or winning a good smaller prize.

Reply #11

pumpi76 — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 23:01:06 GMT

If mega-millions/powerball made the second prize, the 5of 6 payout to be 475,000 for 1 more number then i will embrace it, or 600,000 [the second prize 5of 6] for 2 more numbers then i would embrace it [is the only thing i can think of they will do]. Less than that i will not embrace it...

However i will not embrace it 100% because powerball and mega millions are not a tri-state lotteries...

.................Keno is el diablo cazador de hombres .........you can't see it............and... [ More ]

Reply #10

bellyache — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 22:29:26 GMT

I guess I would have to think about it. I don't want them to raise the matrix, but I would still probably by a couple of tickets every now and then.

Reply #9

fja — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 22:29:15 GMT

I suppose I would play, but I would give up trackng and predicting (not that it helps that much) and play $2 on one set of my numbers and one quick pick, Just to be in it.

Reply #8

Bryan — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 22:29:00 GMT

I would continue to play if they raised the matrix but only if they substantially raised the lower level prizes as well. And I mean by a bunch...

Best of Luck,

Bryan

Reply #7

ryanm — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:20:06 GMT

Good luck retiring from winning a lottery game with less than half a million combinations. I suppose you could if you won it twenty times in a row, but it's impossible if you only beat those odds once. The whole point of Powerball and Mega Millions is to have to beat such astronomical odds to win the top prize, but if you beat them just once you can retire. Despite the recent low jackpot wins in Mega Millions, I don't see it increasing its matrix anytime soon so long as it doesn't let in any... [ More ]

Reply #6

Rick G — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:04:36 GMT

Playing any game with more than a half million combinations doesn't make sense regardless of the "potential reward".

Reply #5

lottolaughs — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:39:56 GMT

No Way!!!! These games are impossible to beat as it is

Reply #4

konane — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:39:47 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by LOTTOMIKE on June 17, 2006 i agree konane.i think if they would've kept the matrix like 5/49 i would play all the time.now that its up near sixty i just watch the results for fun.i don't buy any tickets that much anymore......

I'm as inflexible on matrix changes as Cash is on annuities because they reach a point of diminishing returns and implode.

It all sounds great when some pencil neck geeks present it to lotteries with all razzmatazz projection$$$$ for $$$$a... [ More ]

Reply #3

LOTTOMIKE — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:13:21 GMT

i agree konane.i think if they would've kept the matrix like 5/49 i would play all the time.now that its up near sixty i just watch the results for fun.i don't buy any tickets that much anymore......

Reply #2

konane — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:08:01 GMT

The allure of a bigger jackpot I can't hit would not warm my heart one bit.

Was NOT happy when MM raised its matrix so don't $pend the $$$$ I once did on it. Don't play Powerball through friends in Powerball states like I once did either.

Both matrices are high enough as they are now. .... and both need to realize that a higher one just might be shooting themselves in the foot.

Reply #1

LOTTOMIKE — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:01:14 GMT

as much as i love both games i do believe eventually the players will complain if it does get raised again soon.....

would you still play?

LOTTOMIKE — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 19:20:20 GMT

would you still play if mega millions and powerball were to raise the matrix again here soon