Why play the lottery??Prev TopicNext Topic

• dboz7

  

  wisconsin
  United States
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  May 17, 2005
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  May 28, 2005, 10:31 am

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  I am new to this forum.  I am questioning myself lately as to why should I play the lottery at all.  I mean for the most part the odds are so long that I will most likely not win.  But with that being said, I will be playing $5.00 each on tonights PowerBall and Badger5.  If I win the B5  it would be enough to wipe out all my debt and enough to start a brighter future and if I won the PB, well that would definately set me for life,  I would take care of alot of people too.  I guess the reason I will play these 2 games is just for the dream, the chance.... I dont like to check my numbers until I get up in the morning as when I go to bed at night, before I fall asleep I can think that "maybe" I won!!!  I guess its a small price to pay for a fantastic dream......

  But the Pick 3 ???  the payout/odds are truly horrid.  I mean suppose I sponser a lottery with only 4 numbers in it.  tickets are $100 each, winner gets $200 if you buy 2 tickets you have a 50/50 chance of breaking even.... I was into sports betting for a time, and did fairly well with basketball, baseball took it all back and then some.  But the vig was only 10%, with the lottery it is 50%.  If a casino advertized a 50% payback the place would be empty.  But why are Pick 3 games so popular????  (To the tune of Billions per year)

  With that being said, I am working on my own system to try to beat the odds...is it possible???

  Anyhow thanks for reading my babbling, and thanks for this board I hope to become a contributing member here!!!
• CASH Only

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  May 28, 2005, 10:46 am

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  NY Lotto pays back only 38%-40%.
• JAG331

  

  Greenwich, CT
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  May 24, 2004
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  May 28, 2005, 11:00 am

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  Pick 3 and Pick 4 pay back the most to the average lottery player...50%.  So if you play $20,000 in a lifetime you stand a good chance of getting back $10,000.  A field of 1,000 or 10,000 combos, no big deal. 

  The Mega jackpot games pay back 50%...but think of how much goes to the jackpot and upper-tier winners!  A lifetime of playing jackpot games might return you only 5-10% if you're lucky. 
• Tnplayer805

  

  North Dakota
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  April 5, 2005
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  May 28, 2005, 11:16 am

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  I only play for the fun of it.  I don't expect to win.  If I do win I really live it up.  (Like my $75 scratcher win yesterday)

  How are you going to win if you don't play?
• four4me

  

  MD
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  June 18, 2003
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  May 28, 2005, 11:49 am

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  show me an investment where you can turn a dollar into 40/100/500/5000 bucks or millions and i'm in.

  The lottery has more bang for the buck. If you lose your money usually goes to some state fund to be disbursed for things your states overspends for. The lottery was designed to help reduce the tax burden in most cases.

  My goal is to win the lottery and hopfully for the big bucks. 
• NewClub

  

  United States
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  May 28, 2005, 5:56 pm

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  Maybe just playing in order to keep the dream alive? :)

   
• atlasshrugged

  

  Alaska
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  May 27, 2005
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  May 28, 2005, 6:18 pm

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  Well for me personally, I don't play too much. I get a few Fantasy Five tickets a week and I will get a Lotto South or a Mega Millions on occasion. But I love tracking the Cash 3 here in my state. I only get a Cash 3 ticket when I have a major gut feeling; sometimes right, sometimes not. Fortunately, it seems that my gut is right about 75% of the time but I don't get these "feelings" but maybe a few times a year.  It is just fun to me to track the numbers and see how my workouts stack up. I figure, too, that right now since I don't buy too many tickets the main thing I am wasting is time. Maybe just maybe one of these days I will come up with a super cool formula that will help suppliment our current income but until then I will just continue tracking it and working with the numbers that fall.
  
• Deadsantaclaus

  

  FLORIDA
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  July 1, 2004
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  May 28, 2005, 6:22 pm

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  >>>four4me

  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    Posted: Today, 11:49 am - IP Logged

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  show me an investment where you can turn a dollar into 40/100/500/5000 bucks or millions and i'm in. <<<

   

  That pretty much sums up my lotto philosophy!

  
  

  
  
• Blackie

  

  50

  Norfolk , Va
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  May 2, 2004
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  May 28, 2005, 6:30 pm

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  Why Not play the lottery ?

  It's a challenge and sure beats watching CNN all day. Also it's a great feeling when you go into the retailer and they are giving you money instead of you giving them money.

   

   Good Luck,

  Blackie.                           
• LOTTOMIKE

  

  Tennessee
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  October 15, 2004
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  May 28, 2005, 6:35 pm

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  play to win!
• RJOh

  

  100

  mid-Ohio
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  May 29, 2005, 9:34 am

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  I play to win and I post to brag.  My 1+1 in last night PB didn't win much and isn't worth bragging about.

  RJOh

   * you don't need to buy every combination, just the winning ones * 

         
  
• danisiri

  

  United States
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  April 11, 2005
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  May 30, 2005, 3:06 pm

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  I play a $1 quickpick per draw.  I figure that with the odds so high and that it only takes one ticket to win, so that is all that I will play. 

  If I hit the JP, great!  I can execute my plans for improving things.  

  If not, then I agree, being able to ponder upon the hypothetical possibilities is worth a $1. 

  Yet, I do not want to spend more than a $1, since I know I can but the extra money to much better use.
• MMGuy

  

  Houston, Tx
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  March 28, 2005
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  May 30, 2005, 4:27 pm

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  Quote: Originally posted by LOTTOMIKE on May 28, 2005
  
  

  
  

  play to win!

  
  

  
  

  
• LuckyFoxTerrier

  

  mt. airy, nc
  United States
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  January 27, 2005
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  May 31, 2005, 6:49 pm

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  I play a psychic game with myself and the lottery.  It's fun!  I feel it sharpens intuitive instincts .... and where can you get better pay off?  It's low risk and potentially very very  high returns ... and the carrot dangling there al l the time keeps me moving forward ... what can I say? 

   

  LuckyFox