State lotteries and us, the players.Prev Topic Next Topic

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Do the lotteries look at us as customers or chumps?

Customers, it's a business

[ 17 ]

[ 30.4% ]

Players

[ 3 ]

[ 5.4% ]

Addicted gamblers

[ 4 ]

[ 7.1% ]

Dreamers

[ 2 ]

[ 3.6% ]

Chumps, marks

[ 10 ]

[ 17.9% ]

Both customers and chumps

[ 20 ]

[ 35.7% ]

Other, please explain

[ 0 ]

[ 0.0% ]

Total valid votes

[ 56 ]

Discarded votes

[ 4 ]

Coin Toss

Zeta Reticuli Star System
United States
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May 16, 2006, 12:48 am

How do you think the people who run the lottery see the people who buy tickets, how do they think of us?
Tenaj

Charlotte NC
United States
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May 16, 2006, 12:53 am

Quote: Originally posted by Coin Toss on May 16, 2006
How do you think the people who run the lottery see the people who buy tickets, how do they think of us?
As a commodity. A business. A consumer. No different than a company selling products to make a profit. And they do a good job of it, I might add.

takeemtothebank
justxploring

Wandering Aimlessly
United States
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November 5, 2005
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May 16, 2006, 1:11 am

Quote: Originally posted by Tenaj on May 16, 2006
Quote: Originally posted by Coin Toss on May 16, 2006
How do you think the people who run the lottery see the people who buy tickets, how do they think of us?
As a commodity. A business. A consumer. No different than a company selling products to make a profit. And they do a good job of it, I might add.

I don't think they look at "us" any differently than people who market movies and want to sell more tickets look at moviegoers. However, I think there's probably a lot of money wasted that could otherwise go to the players. I'm not sure I completely trust the system and have my suspicions on how fair & honest the games really are.
Coin Toss

Zeta Reticuli Star System
United States
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May 16, 2006, 1:58 am

Well, no other business would be allowed to run with the same kind of "mark up" on its product, would it?
The oil copmpanies are being looked at (and rightfully so) for "obscene profits", which are probably peanuts compared to what lotteries pay out verse what they take in.
four4me

MD
United States
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May 16, 2006, 2:32 am

I think they look at the overall players as an investment not only for the state but for themselves. Mainly because it's their job to make the lottery look appealing and by spreading the word through advertising and such that winning the lottery is what dreams are made of they will benefit as well. Because the more we spend the more they make for themselves and the state.
I have hear our lottery director say to exercise caution when playing the lottery and not over do it. He says this every time the mega mill pot grows upwards of 200 million. I guess people go overboard spending way to much and are quite disturbed that they didn't win. Maybe he says it because he fields lot of complaints about people not wining. Apparently when people spend a hundred dollars or more they think their intitled to win.
LOTTOMIKE

Tennessee
United States
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October 15, 2004
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May 16, 2006, 8:23 am

i agree tenaj!
Rip Snorter

New Mexico
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May 16, 2006, 8:24 am

I voted 'both'.
Seems to me the basic operations are probably fair and honest as a rule, with the occasional exception.
But the marketing side of things brings what the marketing side of any product brings when the target consumer is the general public.
The way the market-side views lottery buyers, at least for the jackpot games, is something they tell us between the lines on the billboards when they're telling us the prize values. It's written on the giant checks winners hold naming how much they won, even if they claimed cash value and only won a fraction of the amount shown on the checks.
Those billboards, those checks are their way of telling us they believe we're stupid, unimaginative, gullible chumps with too much money in our pockets. The inflated prize advertisements is their way of telling us they believe we're willing to bet some of those extra dollars against a dream of wallowing around in a level of wealth and consumerism far beyond the needs of any individual.
But, of course, they're right on both counts.
Jack

Absorb the good, ignore the bad, weigh the ugly.
It's about number behavior.
Egos don't count.

Dedicated to the memory of Big Loooser
Coin Toss

Zeta Reticuli Star System
United States
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January 17, 2006
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May 16, 2006, 4:12 pm

OK, I posted this hopping one of the lotter officials that peruse this board sees it -
HI! Hello there Mr / Ms Lottery Official!
I think truth be known, it's probably something like this:

"The jackpot is $100,000,000...who wouldn't throw a buck at maybe making that kind of score?"
"Well, most people would, but unfortunately there will be some that throw paychecks at it instead of a buck.

Yeah, unfortunatley."
qutgnt

United States
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February 10, 2004
425 Posts
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May 16, 2006, 7:33 pm

Of course business run on way better mark up than the lottery does. How much do you think it costs Mcdonalds to make a cup of soda? 5 cents? And they sell it for 30x that. That is the American way. If we stopped playing the lottery, they would give us better payback and options, but since every state every quarter reaps record revenue why would they change? I personally think your odds are 100x better at the casino and the track, but no where else can you turn a buck into a million, so that is why we are all hooked.
Tenaj

Charlotte NC
United States
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June 18, 2005
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May 16, 2006, 8:47 pm

Quote: Originally posted by LOTTOMIKE on May 16, 2006
i agree tenaj!

takeemtothebank
CASH Only

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June 5, 2002
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May 21, 2006, 3:05 pm

Quote: Originally posted by qutgnt on May 16, 2006
Of course business run on way better mark up than the lottery does. How much do you think it costs Mcdonalds to make a cup of soda? 5 cents? And they sell it for 30x that. That is the American way. If we stopped playing the lottery, they would give us better payback and options, but since every state every quarter reaps record revenue why would they change? I personally think your odds are 100x better at the casino and the track, but no where else can you turn a buck into a million, so that is why we are all hooked.
NYers are the stupidest lottery players in the US if not the world. They (not me) don't give a dam about NY Rotto's 38%-40% payout or its annuity-only scratches.
JimmySand9

United States
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May 25, 2006, 8:06 pm
Quote: Originally posted by CASH Only on May 21, 2006
Quote: Originally posted by qutgnt on May 16, 2006
Of course business run on way better mark up than the lottery does. How much do you think it costs Mcdonalds to make a cup of soda? 5 cents? And they sell it for 30x that. That is the American way. If we stopped playing the lottery, they would give us better payback and options, but since every state every quarter reaps record revenue why would they change? I personally think your odds are 100x better at the casino and the track, but no where else can you turn a buck into a million, so that is why we are all hooked.
NYers are the stupidest lottery players in the US if not the world. They (not me) don't give a dam about NY Rotto's 38%-40% payout or its annuity-only scratches.
Well, that's because of two things.
1. Most lottery players only care about one thing, and one thing only. Is the jackpot big? They don't care about how much the lower tier prizes suck (or rock), even though that's the only prize most lottery players will ever win.
2. Most people don't care about annuities because to virtually all people (including myself), money is money is money no matter how you slice it or dice it. Here in PA there are a few $5 scratches that pay out $50,000 as it's top prize. In NY you get $50,000, and another $50,000 next year, and then some more the next, you get the drift.
Yeah, New Yorkers may not give a care about annuities, but that doen't make them stupid. It's the 40% payout that's stupid. How about you crusade about that, the low Lotto payout, people would get behind you all of the way.
(insert signature here)
bellyache

United States
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March 18, 2005
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Jun 22, 2006, 7:21 pm
Quote: Originally posted by JimmySand9 on May 25, 2006
Quote: Originally posted by CASH Only on May 21, 2006
Quote: Originally posted by qutgnt on May 16, 2006
Of course business run on way better mark up than the lottery does. How much do you think it costs Mcdonalds to make a cup of soda? 5 cents? And they sell it for 30x that. That is the American way. If we stopped playing the lottery, they would give us better payback and options, but since every state every quarter reaps record revenue why would they change? I personally think your odds are 100x better at the casino and the track, but no where else can you turn a buck into a million, so that is why we are all hooked.
NYers are the stupidest lottery players in the US if not the world. They (not me) don't give a dam about NY Rotto's 38%-40% payout or its annuity-only scratches.
Well, that's because of two things.
Most lottery players only care about one thing, and one thing only. Is the jackpot big? They don't care about how much the lower tier prizes suck (or rock), even though that's the only prize most lottery players will ever win.
Most people don't care about annuities because to virtually all people (including myself), money is money is money no matter how you slice it or dice it. Here in PA there are a few $5 scratches that pay out $50,000 as it's top prize. In NY you get $50,000, and another $50,000 next year, and then some more the next, you get the drift.
Yeah, New Yorkers may not give a care about annuities, but that doen't make them stupid. It's the 40% payout that's stupid. How about you crusade about that, the low Lotto payout, people would get behind you all of the way.
I agree JimmySand9. I see no need to call anyone who plays a certain lottery game stupid. Not everyone who plays the lottery is a member at lottery post and some people don't know about different payouts. Besides Cash, what you hate others enjoy.
LOTTOMIKE

Tennessee
United States
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October 15, 2004
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Jun 22, 2006, 8:09 pm

as long as the games are drawn with ball machines i say its fair and i enjoy it.if its computer drawn there is a trust issue involved and to be quite frank its not a good feeling........
pumpi76

Honduras
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August 29, 2005
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Jun 25, 2006, 9:25 am

Is a good question you raise. i don't know how they see us but i think they see the lottery as bussiness. They see sales as a mark that they must meet or breack regardless. HOnestly, i don't think they do research, polls, studies, experiments, etc before they come out with a new lottery, but is my opinion. I think like any other big company, they might/may have a marketing/ad research group but that's it...

"Keno is "el diablo cazador de hombres".............you can't see it.........and it skins them....." from movie "Predator".....

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