"a lottery forum is not the place, but people often use the internet and join online groups to make friends and to get advice. "
My opinion isn't based on this being a lottery forum or even any other forum, so much as the overall off-topic content, how well-acquainted Dingo is with LP, and his other options. Dingo describes himself as a regular visitor, but only has 85 posts in about as many weeks. I have a hard time accepting that any personal connection Dingo feels to LP is anything more than an illusion. The other problem I see is that it seems that Dingo doesn't feel that he has any real world alternatives. No matter how kind and helpful we are he needs a real world alternative.
FWIW, I've seen several forums where I wouldn't see much of an issue with a post like Dingo's, as long as the post came from somebody who was a regular poster and was truly acquainted with the group. Some forums, especially if they are unmoderated, have an enormous amount of off-topic content, and that allows participants to become much more familiar with the other members. A common interest is a great way for bringing people together, but if your interactions are mostly limited to that common thead, your real knowledge of most members is going to be fairly limited unless you also have communications outside that limited forum. If that's the case you would almost certainly be better off using that outside communication for reaching out to a select few, rather than broadcasting to everyone who chooses to open your post.