describe how you got started with playing the lottery

Reply #31

Ethel K — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 05:38:39 GMT

I have been playing bingo at my church for over 20 years. Then I entered Sweepstakes in the mail. I then began to play the pick 6 lotto in the early 1980s. Then I got frustrated because I could not win the big one. After I wasted thousands of dollars. So I started playing Pick 3 lottery because I thought it was easier to win.

Reply #30

Ethel K — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 05:38:34 GMT

Reply #29

WakeUpDifferen — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 20:51:25 GMT

I started playing in College. I was smoking cigarettes at the time and wasn't happy with the habit, and one day when I went in to 7-11 to buy some cigarettes I noticed that the Big Game was at 180 million. I pretty much decided right there that it's a better idea to spend a couple of bucks on the longest of long shots for something good to happen to me, rather than spend a couple of bucks on something with a very good chance of killing me. It's still a bit of a gamble and a vice, but I like... [ More ]

Reply #28

Skylaquisha — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 19:19:32 GMT

I hear you dutchess kitty. I spend more than a dollar on lottery, but if I won the jackpot, I would bless so many other struggling people I know.

Reply #27

dutchesskitty — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:53:06 GMT

Strap on to your seats........

God told me to do it! Thats right! When i was a child and KY started powerball i dreamed all the time about being rich. Gloating to people how i was no longer poor, how i had fancy things.... you know what im saying..... well for a long time i never thought about being rich... at least not by winning... by working ( and still not rich).

Married now have a kid, still working..... one day about 3 years ago it hit me and hubby both to play.... but not to ha... [ More ]

Reply #26

dwarneke — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 19:53:59 GMT

I got started by joining a lottery club because the daughter of a friend was a member of a pool that won $220 Million.

Reply #25

jarasan — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:08:39 GMT

Started playing in 1984 MD. lotto for entertainment and get rich quick, never hit jack. Moved to GA. didn't play for years, came back to MD., D.C. area early 90's started back-up playing blindly, few bucks here and there, had an epiphany, that if I was going to play, I should play smarter and with purpose, recently started playing more seriously using software and a methodology on the pick-5 pick-6 games with better results. This is how I found this great forum. Like I've written before, the... [ More ]

Reply #24

ironbelle — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 21:47:21 GMT

CA got the lottery in 1985 if I'm not mistaken so every once in a while, I'd buy scratch offs, but that got boring and I wasn't into picking numbers. I'd play in office pools when it got over 20M and the most we won was 84 dollars in an office pool. I've been having problems finding a transfer to another department at my job so my joke was that I would have a better chance winning the lottery than I did getting a transfer. So I said, why not start playing every week. I bought a QP last week and... [ More ]

Reply #23

Elizabeth03 — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 23:44:23 GMT

In my early adulthood, I started buying lottery tickets. Years before that when I was younger, my parents had won $1000 in the 649 lottery when it came out. So I decided when I was older that I would buy tickets as well and try to win. Since then I have won small prizes, not the jackpot yet.

But I hope to hit a jackpot and then I'll be able to do the things I have wanted to do for so long!.

Reply #22

Thoth — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 23:07:48 GMT

My lottery adventure started when I was 18 (about 15 years ago..UGH!). I started off by occasionally playing the Ohio Super Lotto with dreams of striking it rich of course that s yet to happen.

It wasn t until a few years later that I discovered my obsession with the daily numbers game. I was at a local bookstore that had a small countertop rack of lottery related material. The rack featured Pick 3 and Pick 4 number sheets that listed the last year s results along with some future astrol... [ More ]

Reply #21

Tenaj — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 22:13:51 GMT

I got started playing the numbers in 1995. We didn't have a state lottery and as of yet, not a numbers game.

I have a friend that I rode with every Saturdays and she would say, I need to stop here and put my numbers in. I didn't know what she meant. I didn't grow up playing numbers and had never heard of it.

When she told me what it was, I was like - that's the dumbest thing I ever heard of and thought only stupid people who live in this kind of neighborhood would even think a thing.... [ More ]

Reply #20

weshar75 — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 21:08:29 GMT

I do not have a interesting story to my lottery beginnings. One day I just began to play because the days before that I was under the age limit. I played sparingly when I was under 21 due to my service with the U.S. Army. Once I left the service and got a job out in the world and I turned 21. I started to play games of chance. I have been playing regularly the lottery mainly Powerball and heading to the casino for 10 years now. I am down over this time but what the hell maybe just maybe la... [ More ]

Reply #19

lotterybraker — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 20:50:49 GMT

I have already mentioned how I got into the Lottery..back in 1989-1990 somewhere in that neighborhood I hit 5 out of 6 in floridas lotto and it paid 3,300.00 dollars that week..I missed 10 million dollars by one stinking number..but what I was doing at the time showed a little promise tracking numbers..a little later on I hit the pic 3 in florida I was hooked then..but then the place I was getting my tickets from got shut down being as though I live in Mississippi and someone was going to Florid... [ More ]

Reply #18

Skylaquisha — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 18:17:14 GMT

Anyone else? I'm interested in reading more of your stories.

Reply #17

pumpi76 — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:47:26 GMT

delores247 : that combination should have never played theoretically. Is a very rare combination i don't know how it has played before...

I remember when i was in 8th grade back in my country of origin, one of my best friend's (back then) dad came to the U.S and won the FL lotto...He later came back to the country and bought himself a beautiful house and invested that money in real estate (not real estate stocks)....MY friend has always been wealthy...He's name is Mejo...I miss him sometimes.... [ More ]

Reply #16

dingo — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 07:43:57 GMT

When I came to the U.S, I was only 16. At that time, my father played Super Lotto. He told me that if he win he would have millions dollars. Back then, I only use quarters (my favorite), , and nickles, and I never had feeling for money that above the hundredth.

I read stories in the news about people hitting big jackpots and started playing when I was 18. I won several dollars; $17 was my biggest winning.

From that time on, I play when jackpots reach $20 millions.

Reply #15

Skylaquisha — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 06:02:47 GMT

Well I live in NC, so we just recently got the lottery. Last year, my mother started buying a few numbers in the SC lottery (we live about 10 minutes from the NC/SC border). She wanted us to help her play so that our household would have a better chance at winning.

It's kind of sick how I became involved because I used to be the one saying that I would have no part of it, especially due to my religious convictions. Earlier this year I played a few times, but never consistently.... [ More ]

Reply #14

JimmySand9 — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 04:24:41 GMT

It all started when I was very, very young. I always loved watching the Florida Lottery drawings and the Illinois Lottery drawings (which is nationally broadcast on WGN). And my dad always played the Florida Lotto, and I always saw him getting tickets come Saturday night (it was once a week affair back then). Top that with their Flamingo mascot, and I was hooked a decade and a half before I could buy tickets.

Reply #13

justxploring — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 03:56:24 GMT

I saw that Columbo!! I don't remember the details, but I do remember the episode.

I've always liked playing games with numbers and letters. All I needed was a scrap of paper and a pencil and I got a game of Hangman going. Those were the days before video games. I honestly can't remember when I began buying tickets on a regular basis. I know I definitely began purchasing them in MA and in NH sometime in the 70s. (I lived close to the state line.) I don't think I bought tickets every w... [ More ]

Reply #12

TheTruth — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:20:33 GMT

Tnplayer, believe it or not, I just turned 18 a week ago, I am younger then you are. I've had quite a history and alot of experience in a very short time. It's pretty cool to see someone around my age on here. For along while I thought I was the only one...but I' really enjoy the wisdom shared regardless of age

Reply #11

LOTTOMIKE — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:49:39 GMT

i've really enjoyed reading everybodys stories.keep it coming.i'd be interested in hearing what got todd into lottery.always meant to ask him

Reply #10

JAP69 — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:38:58 GMT

I lived in a state that had a lottery for ten years. Never played the pick 3 in that time. I was old enough but it did not interest me.

How I got started was When I started to listen to talk radio in the eve hours. They use to give the daily draw results around 7:30 or so. So one day I was listening to it and they gave the draw results which was 236 and a few days later the draw results were 238. I did not write them down but I remembered them. A week or so later the 239 came out.

I did n... [ More ]

Reply #9

Tnplayer805 — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 22:57:25 GMT

I guess you would call me a minority. I'm one of the few YOUNG players here. I'm only 19 so I've not been playing that long. My parents loved to play when I was younger and I would also help scratch their tickets and I helped pick numbers for them. (I won my mother $1000 before). So when I turned 18 I thought I would try. Ever since then I've been buying scratchoffs (my favorite again another minority) and I always have a pick on Lotto and Powerball. I play the same numbers and choose q... [ More ]

Reply #8

tntea — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 22:30:52 GMT

Mon, Jun 3, 2002West VirginiaCash 2504-05-06-08-11-20

Mon, Apr 22, 2002WisconsinSuper Cash04-06-08-11-16-22

I used the search to see if Freddy's numbers ever fell...

5/6 have..

Reply #7

delores247 — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 19:17:36 GMT

One Rainy day years ago i was preparing my kids for bed and after that i decided to look through my TV guide to see what i wanted to watch because back then with five kids you don't get many breaks so i decided to watch Columbo one of my favorite Detetive Series,on that particular night this episode was about a guy down on his luck and depending on his uncle to finance him,the guy's name was Freddy ,He decided to play the lottery off the serial numbers on his camera,One night he went to his soo... [ More ]

Reply #6

pumpi76 — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 17:57:37 GMT

My story is a little bit sorry but i am going to

mention it to point out other people's situation...15

years ago when i just came to the U.S I didn't have

nothing...And i've heard that my mother was very, very

sick and i couldn't afford to send her nothing...I

couldn't get a job and i was homeless...The only thing

i could think of making a substantial amount of money

to send her without having to sell drugs, robbing a

bank or involved in anything bad, was winning the

lottery. For exampl... [ More ]

Reply #5

guesser — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 17:05:39 GMT

Because I love statistics, I love tracking tendencies of things, numbers, athletics, people, etc.

This is a game just like any other, you pays yer money and takes yer chances......... with a little luck, who knows

Reply #4

Coin Toss — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 16:51:51 GMT

I grew up in Jersey and people were playing the numbers way before there was a state lottery (equivalent to pick 3). The number was determined by the last three dollar digits of the total mutual handle at rotating race tracks. (The track was rotated to prevent any 'manipulation'.)

In fact, many state pick 3's are, or were, an exact copy of 'the number' (or' policy'), except the 'Guido' (AHEM!) had this thing about only paying $450 instead of $500 if you hit and the middle digit was 1.... [ More ]

Reply #3

TheTruth — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 16:27:17 GMT

Great stories...Mike, I've been wondering the whole story on your lottery playing history thx for sharing.

I learned of this weird gift in the summer of 2003

I decided not to tell my family what was going on until that one day that I dreamnt I was eating ice cream with my mom and that It just looked and felt way to real (I woke up wondering why I wasn't actually eating ice cream, so I asked my mom if we had any in the freezer as I saw it...there was none). My dad said what do you mean as... [ More ]

Reply #2

lottolaughs — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 13:04:01 GMT

Awesome thread here,LottoMike.

I, like tntea, worked in a store that sold lotto, a liquor store. The first week I worked there I sold a ticket to a guy worth $150,000 and from that moment on, I guess I was hooked! This was back in '89 before everyone had computers and you could have access to past results so when the store wasn't busy I'd stand at the machine and punch in every date one at a time printing out each past drawing. Took me awhile but from then on I'd study the numbers. I'd put t... [ More ]

Reply #1

tntea — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 11:55:40 GMT

Great story LottoMike and great post.

I got interested when the lottery got voted in for TN. I had an interest in the PB and Lotto 5 only. I didn't know too much about the pick 3/pick4 games.

I work at a lotto store so I got familiar with it really fast. I played only my birthday with the pick 3. Of course it was a dollar gone each day. Then I decided to search the net for ideas. I found LP .. Then the rest is history. It was the best search I have ever done on the net.

describe how you got started with playing the lottery

LOTTOMIKE — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:39:25 GMT

how did you get started playing the lottery?

i never had an interest in the lottery until i heard tennessee was getting one in january of 2004.i was living by myself and me and my girlfriend had been apart so my children weren't born yet.i had some money saved so i wasn't working and i spent hours studying the georgia lottery games such as pick 3 and pick 4.i got a few scratchers at midnight when the lottery officially started.i made it a point soon after to strictly play the numbers games an... [ More ]