United States
Member #122,462
February 1, 2012
530 Posts
Offline
Hi,
I'm just wondering how much people spend playing scratch tickets. I've been playing scratch tickets for almost 3 years. I go through cycles on my spending. When I'm very depressed about my life I tend to spend more on scratchers. In the past 6 months I've spent less money buying scratch tickets but still buy them. It varies for myself. The last month or so I've just been buying 2 and 5 dollar scratch tickets. Other months will by a few 20 dollar and 10 dollar tickets. I've never kept an official track of how much money I've spent on the lottery but I've spent more than I've won. My usual thing to do is to buy 2 tickets in a row hoping that at least one of them will be a winner. The last few months I've been buying one ticket and then immediately scratching it and if I win I don't buy another ticket from that packet. There has only been one time that I've won on 2 tickets in a row, almost always either lose on both or win on just one of them. Buy doing the method of buying one ticket and then immediately scratching it has saved me some money. Yesterday I bought one of our newer 5 dollar scratch tickets and kept to my buying one and then immediately scratched it, won 10 dollars and left the store. I know some people post about winning 100 dollars or more but then they might say they bought lots of tickets to win that 100 dollars. How much do you guys and gals spend?
California United States
Member #112,359
June 17, 2011
661 Posts
Offline
I used to keep track of my lottery spending with Excel but I just don't do that anymore. It's just too much hassle and it kills the excitement of buying tickets. So I don't know how much I have spent but it is safe to say that each year, I always lost more than I won. Hopefully, that will change this year.
Nashville, TN United States
Member #86,736
February 9, 2010
513 Posts
Offline
At first sight This made me think of the time I walked into a convenience store on a Monday morning and the clerks were discussing a woman that came in the day before and spent her entire welfare check on lottery tickets. The one clerk who was there to see it all said she had her three-year-old running around the entire time while she just went on Buying scratch offs.
What people spend their money on is one thing but the fact that she is probably employed somewhere else or is getting so much welfare money she can afford to spend it on lottery, just makes me sick. I wish I knew how much she spent on the scratchers.
Anyways, as for me I probably spend approx. $700 a year on scratchers just buying them here and there.
Miami, Florida United States
Member #111,790
June 2, 2011
581 Posts
Offline
I spend far more than I should. Sometimes I put myself into a financial hardship with my scratch-off purchases. Other times, I'll have incredible luck. At least 5 times in recent memory I have hit back-to-back $500 wins. As in I get a ticket from the Chevron, it's a $500 winner, take it to the Publix grocery store to cash it and get one from their store--and sure enough, it's also a $500 winner. That has happened 5 times in the past couple years. The down side to that is that I end up spending it back--sometimes on things I need, but usually on more scratch offs. So---over all, whew I don't even really want to think about it. I've had plenty of good luck, but I just spend it back. Never hit more than $500, but just in the last year alone I've hit 15+ times for $500...... I just spend it back!
Pennsylvania United States
Member #74,094
May 2, 2009
24,135 Posts
Offline
Quote: Originally posted by TheOtherOne on Mar 13, 2013
At first sight This made me think of the time I walked into a convenience store on a Monday morning and the clerks were discussing a woman that came in the day before and spent her entire welfare check on lottery tickets. The one clerk who was there to see it all said she had her three-year-old running around the entire time while she just went on Buying scratch offs.
What people spend their money on is one thing but the fact that she is probably employed somewhere else or is getting so much welfare money she can afford to spend it on lottery, just makes me sick. I wish I knew how much she spent on the scratchers.
Anyways, as for me I probably spend approx. $700 a year on scratchers just buying them here and there.
I spend around $2000/ year on the jackpot games.
I thought those benefits came on cards and could only be used for food. If people are able
to buy lottery tickets with their cards shouldn't someone be reporting them AND the store?
I think that's awful that her child is probably suffering with no food so the mother can feed
something else.
Port Orange, Florida United States
Member #133,392
September 28, 2012
163 Posts
Offline
So far this year I probably have already lost $1k. In the past I would eventually win my money back but lately it's not the case. I have won a few $1k tickets in the last 5 years.
Oklahoma United States
Member #82,389
November 12, 2009
6,374 Posts
Offline
Quote: Originally posted by dr65 on Mar 13, 2013
I thought those benefits came on cards and could only be used for food. If people are able
to buy lottery tickets with their cards shouldn't someone be reporting them AND the store?
I think that's awful that her child is probably suffering with no food so the mother can feed
something else.
Los Angeles, California United States
Member #103,809
January 5, 2011
1,530 Posts
Offline
Quote: Originally posted by shyguitar on Mar 13, 2013
Hi,
I'm just wondering how much people spend playing scratch tickets. I've been playing scratch tickets for almost 3 years. I go through cycles on my spending. When I'm very depressed about my life I tend to spend more on scratchers. In the past 6 months I've spent less money buying scratch tickets but still buy them. It varies for myself. The last month or so I've just been buying 2 and 5 dollar scratch tickets. Other months will by a few 20 dollar and 10 dollar tickets. I've never kept an official track of how much money I've spent on the lottery but I've spent more than I've won. My usual thing to do is to buy 2 tickets in a row hoping that at least one of them will be a winner. The last few months I've been buying one ticket and then immediately scratching it and if I win I don't buy another ticket from that packet. There has only been one time that I've won on 2 tickets in a row, almost always either lose on both or win on just one of them. Buy doing the method of buying one ticket and then immediately scratching it has saved me some money. Yesterday I bought one of our newer 5 dollar scratch tickets and kept to my buying one and then immediately scratched it, won 10 dollars and left the store. I know some people post about winning 100 dollars or more but then they might say they bought lots of tickets to win that 100 dollars. How much do you guys and gals spend?
It all depends on each person's disposable income. Only spend what you can afford to lose. Treat it as your entertainment budget, like it's not coming back.
I dunno what average would be, but $5 to $10 a day would not seem out of the ordinary. I maybe do around twice that.
What would you spend each week on going out to movies/shows? Or on golf/sports? or on eating out? And don't scratch sad/mad. Don't get emotional, unless you win big, then you can celebrate. But don't get angry, just walk away instead and come back another day.
People that win more probably spend more. And most people do not reveal all their losses, only their wins. What they spend is their business afterall.