Top 10 "Reasons" why the Powerball Lottery is a scam...!

Reply #47

THRIFTY — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:27:05 GMT

KOBRA, I agree with you that powerball is a bargain for a $1. Have you noticed that people are winning mega millions and powerball sooner?. I really feel that participating in such a large pool of players for a $1 can't be beat. On 5/25/10 a guy won $250k mega millions by betting 1 line quick pick. I wonder how much the national lottery will cost per ticket.

Reply #46

Kobra — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 19:22:07 GMT

rdgrnr you must not have anything better to do than find my recent post and make dumb comments??? i am truely flattered you would go out of your way to do that. i guess it gets lonley on the farm at times, huh

Reply #45

rdgrnr — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:17:13 GMT

yea you are right, the government should not be able to just take money as they please. but hey its the government, there isnt anything we can do about that.

Thank God there are men who don't think like that and refuse to accept it.

Reply #44

Kobra — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:29:58 GMT

yea you are right, the government should not be able to just take money as they please. but hey its the government, there isnt anything we can do about that. I understand everything you are saying I just dont think that pb or mm is a scam. the reality of it is that u can make a $1 investment and become filthy freakin rich!!! No scam there in my eyes.

Reply #43

RJOh — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:20:09 GMT

Youve known from the thousands of my posts that my interests lie in pick 3 where I crunch all my data...Ive found it impossible to crunch data on 195+ million combinations..

Pick3 only has a 1000 possible combinations and 220 possible box combinations and the most you're going to win with a dollar is $500. You aren't thinking that winning $200M+ should have the same odds and take about the same amount of effort, are you? If so, do you think you would be the only player buying all 1000 possibl... [ More ]

Reply #42

crow — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:33:05 GMT

Did you read ALL 10 of my reasons?

SHOULD the state Govt get to borrow out of the state PB fund? I mean this is unethical is it not? What if the state borrowed out of your state income taxes and decided to pay back in thier own due time?Where is the oversight committe that looks into this abuse?I mean is it ok just because the Govt. is the one doing it?Where is the accountability?

Are you REALLY REALLY REALLY sure you can projection model with a 1% value and be accurate like the lotto doe... [ More ]

Reply #41

Kobra — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:37:12 GMT

im sorry crow but like everyone else here im going to have to highly disagree with you. seems like the only real argument u have here is the odds. and like someone else asked you, and you still havent anwsered the question, what should the odds be when millions of dollars are at stake? 1 in 1000??? now here is my real question, what inspired you to post this? especially here on a lottery website? how much money have you blown won this scam

Reply #40

Aspar — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:43:22 GMT

Sour grapes; however I do believe that the lottery needs to be reformed to better the odds. If you won the jackpot you would not have made this post.

Reply #39

RJOh — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:39:43 GMT

So this is why before the cross selling began , MM PB would increased their starting jackpot and would change the matrix?

That's my opinion because Ohioans have been winning PB jackpots since it's been available in neighboring states. Adding Ohio probably didn't add much more sales than neighboring PB states lost in sales from Ohioans. If that proves not to be the case then PB may change their game in the future.

Reply #38

Perfecttiming2 — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:24:10 GMT

Before cross selling each game avoided accepting states next to ones already selling their game so when a new state was added its players and those from its surrounding states were added too .

RJOH, (the above statement is very informative .......)

So this is why before the cross selling began , MM PB would increased their starting jackpot and would change the matrix?

(I think this was mentioned somewhere before, but I can't find it....

Reply #37

iGlenn — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:45:03 GMT

Our government is extremely corrupt and the taxes on lottery winnings doesn't even scratch the surface.

I don't play pick 3, 4 or scratch offs because I have no interest in the small payouts and winning a few hundred, few thousand, or even a few hundred thousand dollars would not be a life changing event for me. I invest/play the stock market because the odds of making money are so much better and Mr. Market has been really good to me.

I spend $1-5 (depending on the jackpot amount) on ea... [ More ]

Reply #36

crow — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:30:45 GMT

Wow,giving your writing style I'm pretty sure you fit right in with the archetype you so adamantly propose.....

Now, go back and try to fit round peg into square hole because youve been promoted to the head of the class....

Reply #35

grave — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 08:49:45 GMT

Reply #34

joshuacloak — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:42:37 GMT

this is i think, a misdirected attack

go atfer lotto doing instant ticket miss prints, and going sorry, we know it says you won, but you didn't

go atfer casino's going oops the slot had a error, you didn't really win

at lest with powerball and mega millions if your ticket matchs the numbers , all 6 of them spot on

you know you freaking won,

only thing you can hate about pb and mm is the odds, but we have to have insane odds to offer such a large jackpot

i don't see wh... [ More ]

Reply #33

scorpio — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:05:58 GMT

they are very unfair games,pb,mm.states that are high in population win a lot,whereby lower population states never win.that says something for fairness.i like casinos a lot better,rng helps to win,but have to play pb,mm when can't get to a casino.

Reply #32

blackjack26241 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:27:51 GMT

If you don't like it don't play, but for everyone who does all of that does'nt really matter!! Some of us just play for fun.

Reply #31

RJOh — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:36:44 GMT

Before cross selling each game avoided accepting states next to ones already selling their game so when a new state was added its players and those from its surrounding states were added too.

In Ohio, many Ohioan won PB jackpots before PB was sold locally, they traveled to Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania for tickets. Adding Ohio probably did add some players but Ohio was probably helped more by selling PB tickets than the PB game was and the surrounding states lost those out of state sales... [ More ]

Reply #30

Raven62 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:16:06 GMT

Don't you find it interesting that everytime MM PB added a new State the Matrix was increased: but when they cross added States, their was No Matrix Increase...

Reply #29

crow — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:03:54 GMT

As Ive said previously 1 in 195 million + is waaaaay good odds for the state run lotto's however for the individual it sucks bigtime...and so what you CAN win with a 1 dollar bet this kind of hypothetical doesnt transcend math wise because the CAN FACTOR doesnt equate...

The initial start up money should be closer to 50 million instead of 20 due to all the many states that are in the collective,but as Ive stated previously the state collective has become greedy or else state Govts. wouldn't b... [ More ]

Reply #28

RJOh — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:22:05 GMT

Sounds like you are the one trying to SPIN things with no logical explanation. You never answered my question about the kinds of odds you thought were fair to parley a $1 bet into a potential $260M jackpot. The fact that you aren't likely to win the jackpot doesn't make the game a scam and it's not a logical opinion.

Every one can look at the back of any PB play slip and the odds of winning the jackpot are there, 1:195,249,054. That sounds logical to me for the size jackpot they're trying to... [ More ]

Reply #27

THRIFTY — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:10:40 GMT

POWERBALL runners win because huge jackpots are the results of many small jackpots drawings that took place, which allow them to take a cut a long the way. You can say that powerball is actually a smart players scam against players that play with 1 in 195 millions odds and jackpots below 200 millions. A smart player will wait until the jackpot had been pushed way up by those that play when is really low.

ARE YOU WILLING TO SPEND $1 FOR A 1 IN 195 MILLION CHANCE OF $20 MILLION OR 1 IN 195 MILL... [ More ]

Reply #26

crow — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:55:12 GMT

RJ,time and time again you try to SPIN things without giving a logical explaination ....these kind of tactics don't hold up in a true forum of debate and its akin to a RED HERRING as Ive said before.

Why excuse the things the government does simply because youve become CONDITIONED to accept the status quo?

I want you to think about that for awhile before you give a quick rebuttal...

Reply #25

bobby623 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:52:12 GMT

Reason 2.) Unless every possible combination is played which is 195 million + you cannot have a 99.9% Degree of Certainty...this also means its to the lotteries advantage to print out duplicate tickets where there is not a winner despite the high volume of tickets sold.

I think it's been said many times that all of the lottery terminals possess a random number generator for quick picks.

If true, then the lottery folks have no control over how many of the total combinations will be in play.... [ More ]

Reply #24

ohiopick3 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:49:58 GMT

Many people that spend lots of money on lottery jackpot games and lose quite often say it's a scam.

That is because they have not won anything significant. If you don't like it, don't play it. But if you do,

You should add another line to your ridicule of jackpot games if you win.

Reason 11.)

I guess I'll be eating crow now.

Reply #23

RJOh — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:29:09 GMT

If you have a cigarette addiction and willing to spend more money, there are medications and addiction programs that will help you deal with your addiction.

I'm sure there are some similar programs for lottery addiction, but if you can afford to play and you enjoy playing, it's not an addiction.

Reply #22

Stack47 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:17:01 GMT

Reason 1.) The odds are 1 in 195,249,054

Where can I find any game of chance where the odds are in the players favor? Do you really expect any gambling house to hand players millions of dollars every time they bet a dollar?

When the jackpot exceeds the game odds like it did on Wednesday, isn't that a good bet?

Reason 3.) Its flat out deceit to make the claim that the lotto commissions pays out vast sums of money to winners when most of the winners take thier money and re-play the very... [ More ]

Reply #21

crow — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:08:03 GMT

Very true,P4P...plus its just another tax on the populace.....most people fail to realize that if we had a strong jobs base whereby tax revenue could be collected the lottos wouldn't even exist today....the Govt. found out long ago just like with the cigarette industry that once you addict someone you have a constant stream of revenue...and Ive yet to hear an addict complain about thier addiction....

Reply #20

crow — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:59:50 GMT

Huh,pure timing

Reply #19

THRIFTY — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:54:05 GMT

The powerball or any lottery for that matter are ran by the government and lottery operators as a revenue source. which means that the house has all the advantage. when it comes to lotteries in my opinion the odds don't matter at all. powerball 1 in 195 million odds to win the jackpot. someone will win, that is a fact. so don't let math fool you. most people don't win the lottery because they don't know how to play to win. whenever people buy multiple tickets the house wins because it comes out... [ More ]

Reply #18

edge — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:20:56 GMT

cool, on my end i am seeing hits in 4-out-of-5 P5 (not a small change:) mega, power ball, same result as you 3-of-5 regardless of +/- research is ongoing:)

mostly what kills mb/pb for me is consecutive numbers so, 3 of 5 would be 4 of 5 if brave enough to play consecutive numbers, but psychologically to this day resistent...

same thing with immediate repeats, (also psychologically resistent) , might be that if enough folks here on LP would do repeats (A) and consecutive numbers (B) you sho... [ More ]

Reply #17

Pick4pimp — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:18:44 GMT

I agree with you @Crow PB is a scam.........

Reply #16

RJOh — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:10:17 GMT

Are you implying that you have played combinations that later turned out to be a winner but you just played them too soon?

I've check some of my old play files once in a while to see if that has ever happened to me and I occasionally find I might have had a match3 for a couple of bucks but no big winners.

Reply #15

edge — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:43:51 GMT

pure timing, all it is

Reply #14

Raven62 — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:14:13 GMT

If it was a Scam (scheme to defraud or cheat someone) and it could be proved in a Court of Law then their would be an argument to state: Without any proof it's just emotional bellyaching. Whine On

Reply #13

Todd — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:39:44 GMT

Reply #12

crow — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:36:47 GMT

This isn't about me Complaining ....so how about addressing the weight of the above arguement instead of acting like a programmed automaton who so easily tows the party line without so much as a grain of insight as to whether something is right or wrong....

Reply #11

Raven62 — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:22:40 GMT

Please STOP the Whining (complaining in a childish way): You did the Math: You Know the Odds: Like Everyone Else: If You Don't Like the Odds: Don't Play: but Please STOP the Whining

Reply #10

RJOh — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:01:34 GMT

What kinds of odds do you think would be more fair to parley a $1 bet into a potential $260M jackpot

Reply #9

crow — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:46:29 GMT

Hmmmmm....so you are saying when the odds are overwhelmingly in the PB's favor thats not cheating?

What if the casinos had these odds?

You know what would happen,right?

They'd be out of business...!!!!

Keep in mind that the GOVT can get away with anything simply because they make up the rules whether it be legal or illegal...you however as an individual cannot though..

The question you need to ask yourself is that : are you willing to acknowledge this as normal because it is the G... [ More ]

Reply #8

crow — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:35:05 GMT

Nope, I didnt load up on the PB...I hardly play PB anymore...the odds just flat out suck..

There is noway possible to crunch the numbers on 195 + million combinations..

Reply #7

ThatScaryChick — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:18:45 GMT

The game isn't a scam it just has astronomically huge odds. Very few people will ever win a first prize or a second prize, heck even a third prize in Powerball or Mega Millions. The Powerball alone has over 195 Million different line choices. It is a game that is hard to beat. That's just the way it is. The government doesn't have to cheat because the odds are in their favor. People like to play these games, because of the huge jackpots, so in turn more money gets put into them. Plus, a lot of m... [ More ]

Reply #6

Coin Toss — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:15:31 GMT

crow,

Re: your OP, I'll go own the list.

1. Agreed, we go in knowing this.

2. With that many combinations it would be almost impossible not to have some duplicate tickets. If there would be no duplicates, that is if once a set of numbers was taken, that's not a lottery it's a raffle....of sorts.

3. The lotto commissions aran't making any claims about what winners do with the non-jackpot prizes. In fact we've had discussions here on LP about most of that money going right back into th... [ More ]

Reply #5

rcbbuckeye — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:08:49 GMT

Do you think the person who just won in Ohio thinks PB is a scam? Look, the odds are what they are. The payouts are what they are. The payouts for lower tier prizes are what they are so the jackpot will be larger which is what drives sales. Nobody buys a ticket to win $3. People that buy a ticket buy to win the jackpot, or at least 2nd prize. If you think the lower tier prizes in PB and MM are bad, take a look at a state lottery like Tx Lotto. Those prizes suck. But they suck because people buy

Reply #4

Hermanus104 — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:19:21 GMT

I don't like the payouts for the small prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions. That's why I stick with Pick-3 and Pick-4 if I do play (which has happened only twice this year). In Virginia and Georgia it's 50-50.

Reply #3

tiggs95 — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:49:21 GMT

ooooh ohhh..

Reply #2

crow — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:47:32 GMT

Consider my above post a statement directed towards MegaMillions as well just to be fair,now please make a rebuttal about the WEIGHT of the above arguement instead of trying to create a RED HERRING and going off on a tangent.

Reply #1

iGlenn — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:57:47 GMT

Lets be fair. The same argument can be made for MM and the lottery in general. Why are you singling out PB

Top 10 "Reasons" why the Powerball Lottery is a scam...!

crow — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:27:37 GMT

Everyone loves to play the powerball especially when they see the pot grow to multi-millions,however there are hidden factors that most people fail to realize and these factors point to the Powerball as being nothing less than a scam..

Reason 1.) The odds are 1 in 195,249,054

Reason 2.) Unless every possible combination is played which is 195 million + you cannot have a 99.9% Degree of Certainty...this also means its to the lotteries advantage to print out duplicate tickets where there is