Random Observations & Things To Ponder

Reply #31

Coin Toss — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 06:09:18 GMT

No matter how much proof there is that someone's system or theory doesn't work often there is no convinving them of that.

Of course there's no convincing them they didn't have a great time at the 1994 World series, either, just ask them.

Reply #30

Coin Toss — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:51:26 GMT

Observation:

Every so often someone will post a boo hoo thread. They played lotto with an expectation of winning and didn't so then a post goes up about the lottery being rigged in way or another.

Oh boo hoo I played the ______ lottery Pick __ game and didn't win. Don't play this game it's fixed.

Reply #29

jwhou — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:50:37 GMT

The annuity doesn't end with your life, the remainder of the payments is still with the annuity which is part of your estate but your heirs would have to pay a hefty inheritance tax on it. If I won an American jackpot that was large enough, I would consider the annuity payments even though my Doctors expected me to die years ago however it would be through a blind trust both to preserve anonymity and to avoid inheritance taxes.

Interestingly, there is one game in Western Canada called PayDay... [ More ]

Reply #28

Coin Toss — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:51:30 GMT

On the latest The Lottery changed My Life they interviewed a woman in Colorado who took the annual payments and now that she's near the end of them she's opening a restaurant.

I'm at an age where I wouldn't consider annual payments, but even if I was younger I'd be very wary of going thsat route considering the agenda of the current regime in D.C.

Consider what's going to happen to inheritances.

Reply #27

jwhou — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:26:42 GMT

I can't even think of a single lottery story where the winner took the AP. One would think that with a 100 million jackpot, the first check alone would be enough to change your life. If you were reasonable, then you could be very very happy each and every year for 25 years.

Reply #26

jwhou — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:02:14 GMT

When the economy tanked, they showed a college student who had won a million on a scratchoff and invested it all hence lost half with the market. It took the sentionalism of the economic difficulties to make that scratchoff win newsworthy.

Sometimes I think there's too much of a rush to invest it all. The only algorithm proven to work in investing is dollar cost averaging and that presumes the money available for investing is available in regular amounts over a long period of time. Only takin... [ More ]

Reply #25

RJOh — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:00:37 GMT

I see what you mean, if those PB and MM winners of $100M took the annuities and thought of them as winning $60,000-$75,000 a week for 25-30 years, their stories wouldn't be as interesting.

Reply #24

Stack47 — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:44:11 GMT

On one of first How the lottery changed my life shows had a young woman who hit a Win for Life scratch-off. Her grand prize was $1000 a week for life which by PB, MM, or even Lotto games standards doesn't seem significant, but it drastically change her life. A few stories like hers are OK but if all the shows were winners like her, it would be boring TV. The same is true about shows like Lottery Losers: how many times can we watch people blowing millions before we finally switch the channel... [ More ]

Reply #23

Stack47 — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:15:29 GMT

If you think about it, it's more beneficial to the State Lotteries by showing a player winning the jackpot playing a $1 QP whether they actually bought 10, 100 QPs or used a system. They don't want the average player thinking they need some elaborate wheeling system to win the jackpot or need to buy a large number of QPs.

Reply #22

BaristaExpress — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:44:10 GMT

I have yet to buy any state lottery raffle ticket! I know I'll never do such a foolish thing such as to buy a computer generated set of numbers on a raffle ticket from the state lottery! Remember people the majority of us here despise any computer generated number games that some of the state lotteries already run around the country! But some of you so say that you don't play those types of games are the first to plop down your $10.00 or $20.00 dollar bill on a raffle ticket that the state lotte... [ More ]

Reply #21

Coin Toss — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:15:36 GMT

Many of the same systems are sold with different packaging.

The same system may be called Triangle, Pyramid, Delta or something else but it's the same thing.

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People who approach something like lottey jackpot games where the odds are in the millions tens of millions, and hunydres of millions against the player are with the expectation of winning the easiest ones to sell systems to.

Reply #20

GiveFive — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:11:47 GMT

You found the secret buckeye....

There are loads of people in much worse shape than you. I see them all around me, I know how screwed they are. And because of that, I dont complain. I know things could be much worse are for me than they actually are, so I can get through each day without being overly depressed.

I know good people who lost their homes due to foreclosure. They didnt do anything to deserve what happened to them. They say things to me like, Oh well, my wife's OK, the kids are... [ More ]

Reply #19

rcbbuckeye — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:34:32 GMT

I feel for ya. My wife was forced into early retirement a few years ago, and only by the grace of God she found a good job just 5 miles down the road, but at much lower salary. I sell furniture, and like you just want the pressure off. I don't make much $. Got one kid in college paying by Student Loans and Parent Loans. Another kid graduates from high school next year and I have no idea how he's going to college because I can't go into hock like that for both. In debt up to my ears, and it ain't... [ More ]

Reply #18

GiveFive — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:48:37 GMT

While I wouldn't describe my financial situation as a plight , it's none the less a predicament.

We do have a very nice quality of life, and we've enjoyed it for more than 25 years. I dont resent the fact that I'm broke because I chose to send our kids to private colleges. I have to admit it, I want my cake and be able to eat it too. That's something that used to happen. But the times, they have changed.

I just want the financial pressure off. Here's why: Located in western Connecticut, a... [ More ]

Reply #17

Coin Toss — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:53:55 GMT

Yup, got the idea, GiveFive and your post was blatantly honest and unfortunately described the plight of most working Americans.

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Something to ponder:

Players who would never play a quick pick are often the same ones that can't wait to buy raffle tickets.

Reply #16

GiveFive — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:29:34 GMT

Thanks Coin Toss! You couldn't have said it better.

We cover all the bases every month, it's just there's no discretionary money left over so we can go out and have some fun! I miss the days way back when we used to be able to go on vacation, eat a a real nice steakhouse, and buy a new car every five or six years.

In 2009, I retired from a Fortune 500 after 32 years. In the last 5 or 6 years of my career, that corporation saw fit to give zero percent pay raises to their employee's. (If an... [ More ]

Reply #15

rdgrnr — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:59:46 GMT

Now that was the some of the better covert snootiness I've seen on LP Bob, LOL.

I appreciate the wording used to illustrate the point while staying above the fray. Always a key quality in a wordsmith's repertoire.

I salute you.

Reply #14

BobP — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 05:51:38 GMT

I suspect people who win by QP are also more likely to want to appear on a tv show. Those who win by wheeling more likely to think things through and choose not to draw attention to themselves. As for the ticket, a prop so as not to confuse the audience.

BobP

Reply #13

Coin Toss — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:24:16 GMT

Maybe because when someone wins multi-millions no matter how much they go through they're still thinking, Holy cow, I've got tens of millions of dollars , but when somone wins let's say $2,000,000 on a scratcher they're more apt to be cautious with it.

Reply #12

Coin Toss — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:49:34 GMT

RJoh,

Most people live paycheck to paycheck. That doesn't mean they can't make their house payments, buy food, or pay for utlities.

Heat, eat, and taxes means no other debt, no mortgage, no car payments, no credit card bills.

When all is said and done, the average working American is deeper in debt at the end of the year, and that excludes a house and car payment.

That is a large part of the attraction of the lottery, it's the working slobs only real hope of ever escaping the trap .... [ More ]

Reply #11

ttech10 — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:14:59 GMT

They probably also don't want to be a free advertiser to that person.

Hi my name is John and I'm a lottery winner. I have been featured on HBO for my lottery win from using my verified lottery winning system. For the low price of $99.99 you too can learn the secrets of winning the lottery!

Doubt that was an actual reason, but I could definitely see a lottery winner who won with a system to do that (especially if they blew through most of it already).

Reply #10

ca-dreamin* — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:10:04 GMT

The people I know all buy QP's or play the birthday, anniversary etc numbers. I think most people are too busy dreaming about winning and put little thought into choosing numbers.

Plus I'm sure it's alot more interesting to hear a story about someone who spent their last dollar, bought a ticket on a whim, played the same numbers forever etc. versus someone who says I have a system, I wheel my numbers, ok lets talk about math and statistics.

Once I had a news crew ask me what I thought abou... [ More ]

Reply #9

RJOh — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:27:05 GMT

I assume the average winner is like the average scratch off ticket buyer, not a debt-laden person living from paycheck to paycheck who can't make his house payments, afford food or pay his taxes and utilities. The money would make his life easier but not make him a millionaire plus to do some of the foolish things some one winning $30 Millions might do.

Reply #8

jimmy4164 — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:03:16 GMT

Here's a quote from rdgrnr's comment in the Statistically Speaking - QPs and PPs thread yesterday:

If QP's account for exactly 70% of tickets sold and account for exactly 70% of winning tickets, while PP's account for exactly 30% of tickets sold and exactly 30% of winning tickets, I just cannot reconcile in my mind one method outperforming the other.

So, maybe this answers the question of why HBO didn't happen to display any tickets that had the footprint of a Wheeled set - 70% of the wi... [ More ]

Reply #7

Coin Toss — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:53:50 GMT

RJoh,

Don't you think that anything that takes the avergage debt-laden American from a hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck existence to a Heat, eat, and taxes (utilites, food, and taxes, no other bills) lifestlye is a lifestyle change

Reply #6

savagegoose — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:09:32 GMT

i think lottery officials take the real ticket,maybe they hand out a fake one for you to show the cameras

Reply #5

RJOh — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:14:09 GMT

You never hear of people who won a millioin or more on a scratcher blowing it all.

Winning a million or about $700K after taxes isn't enough to change a life style such that after it's gone the life style have to change again. It's enough to pay off a house and have a little saved for the kids education, the things one might plan to do whether they won a lottery or not. Doing those kinds of things aren't new worthy.

Reply #4

pumpi76 — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:15:46 GMT

is true, in fact every website i ve seen of, people claiming they won a jackpot with a system it has 1 single line and not several, including on youtube.....Which means is a scam, or they consulted a psychic (jokingly), or they knew before hand that particular combination was going to play which is unlikely because i ve not seen anyone single out 1 combination and know it was going to play...

Reply #3

ttech10 — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:18:22 GMT

You also have to look at the percentage of numbers that are Quick Picks and Personal Picks that are not wheeled.

There may also be large but not huge winners that wheel numbers and just aren't asked by HBO to talk about it since it's not a 'change your life' type of amount.

Reply #2

kapla — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:40:57 GMT

Maybe those who wheel are also smart enough to turn down HBO others who ask to talk to them/film them ?? Maybe they want to win again and NOT share there secrets

Reply #1

jimmy4164 — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:45:44 GMT

And why do you think this is true

Random Observations & Things To Ponder

Coin Toss — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:06:32 GMT

When the lottery programs such as How the Lottery Changed My Life and Curse of the Lottety are aired and they show people's winnig tickets none of those tickets have ever been numbers that were wheeled.

Granted, you just get a brief glimpse of them and usually it's a $1 ticket or a $5 ticket and maybe those people played others, but the ones they show never have lines of the same numbers having been wheeled.

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You never hear of people who won... [ More ]