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[Leafsnail]

The risk/reward ($1 per ticket vs. OMGWTFBBQthatsalotofmoney) actually makes it start to look attractive.

And you don't feel the urge to multiply that large amount of money by the probability of you winning it?

[Urist Imiknorris]

I suppose any number is as good as any other number in the lottery.

This is not true. There is one number that is infinitely better than any other.

[RedKing]

.0001% chance is better than none, so long as $5 is something you can spare.

Yup. We ain't exactly on the government cheese over here in Casa del Rey Rojo.
Another way of looking at it is that I paid 1.25 gallons of gas. >_<

The risk/reward ($1 per ticket vs. OMGWTFBBQthatsalotofmoney) actually makes it start to look attractive.

And you don't feel the urge to multiply that large amount of money by the probability of you winning it?

Actually, I did. According to the printed tickets, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1:175,711,536. Considering that the jackpot is ~640,000,000 dollars and a single chance is $1, them's pretty good odds. Plus there's always the opportunity to win lesser prizes. Odds on winning at least something back is about 1:40. 5 plays, that's 1:8. Even if I just get $2-3 back, that's worth it overall.

[Phantom of The Library]

Bought some lottery tickets. Yeah, I know...infinitesimal probability, waste of money, etc. etc.

But when the payout is equivalent to the GDP of a small island nation ($640 million and counting), it's kinda hard not to take at least one shot. The risk/reward ($1 per ticket vs. OMGWTFBBQthatsalotofmoney) actually makes it start to look attractive.

If I win the whole shebang...Toady will get one hell of a donation. 

My mom actually had me get her three numbers, and we never play the lottery normally. She gave me three sets of numbers that all had 9 11 in them, since she's obsessed with that number ever since that terrible day. I mentioned it might be unlucky, but I suppose any number is as good as any other number in the lottery.

My father bought ten I think...

His were the same reasons, might as well take the chance.

[ToonyMan]

My parents gamble and I hate them for it.  We have ridiculous Mohegan Sun merchandise all over the house...cup holders...notepads...PENS...CLOTHES

[RedKing]

Oh hey, I lost $100 at Mohegan Sun years ago. Went with my then-girlfriend, who was from a well-to-do Jewish family in New York. She coasted on $500 for a few hours like it was no big thing, while I lost my $100 (which represented basically all my money for the trip up to see her) in 3 hands of poker.

And that's why I don't do casinos. Unless you're playing the slots, you gotta come with mad bank to have any fun.

I don't usually gamble, although I was quite the poker player back in college. We used to do quarter games down in the dorm basement on the weekends. I sent many a person through the next week wearing dirty laundry in those days...

[JoshuaFH]

Oh hey, I lost $100 at Mohegan Sun years ago. Went with my then-girlfriend, who was from a well-to-do Jewish family in New York. She coasted on $500 for a few hours like it was no big thing, while I lost my $100 (which represented basically all my money for the trip up to see her) in 3 hands of poker.

And that's why I don't do casinos. Unless you're playing the slots, you gotta come with mad bank to have any fun.

I don't usually gamble, although I was quite the poker player back in college. We used to do quarter games down in the dorm basement on the weekends. I sent many a person through the next week wearing dirty laundry in those days...

Can I ask what type of poker?

I personally have visited a casino exactly once, and I made off like a bandit with a profit of $16 playing blackjack.

[Scelly9]

Oh hey, I lost $100 at Mohegan Sun years ago. Went with my then-girlfriend, who was from a well-to-do Jewish family in New York. She coasted on $500 for a few hours like it was no big thing, while I lost my $100 (which represented basically all my money for the trip up to see her) in 3 hands of poker.

And that's why I don't do casinos. Unless you're playing the slots, you gotta come with mad bank to have any fun.

I don't usually gamble, although I was quite the poker player back in college. We used to do quarter games down in the dorm basement on the weekends. I sent many a person through the next week wearing dirty laundry in those days...

Can I ask what type of poker?

I personally have visited a casino exactly once, and I made off like a bandit with a profit of $16 playing blackjack.

Musta lived like a king for the next 8 minutes.

[JoshuaFH]

Oh yeah, should've had that sixteen smackeroonies framed and set in my living area.

Might've spent it on jerky or something.

[Fenrir]

Actually, I did. According to the printed tickets, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1:175,711,536. Considering that the jackpot is ~640,000,000 dollars and a single chance is $1, them's pretty good odds. Plus there's always the opportunity to win lesser prizes. Odds on winning at least something back is about 1:40. 5 plays, that's 1:8. Even if I just get $2-3 back, that's worth it overall.

Unless I misunderstand how a lottery works, if a lottery was a good investment for the players, there would be no purpose in running a lottery. Consider that there must be 640,000,000 in losses to pay the one winner. It is the same for the smaller amounts.

It seems that, either the lottery organizers are idiots, and they will have much explaining to do when they are empty handed at the end, or you made a bad investment.

[Frumple]

Already forgot where I read it (May have even been this thread, ha!), but they've apparently already made like 1+ (1.5+, now that I check news again) billion off of people buying tickets, so... yeah. Already doubled the investment.

[Duke 2.0]

Actually, I did. According to the printed tickets, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1:175,711,536. Considering that the jackpot is ~640,000,000 dollars and a single chance is $1, them's pretty good odds. Plus there's always the opportunity to win lesser prizes. Odds on winning at least something back is about 1:40. 5 plays, that's 1:8. Even if I just get $2-3 back, that's worth it overall.

Unless I misunderstand how a lottery works, if a lottery was a good investment for the players, there would be no purpose in running a lottery. Consider that there must be 640,000,000 in losses to pay the one winner. It is the same for the smaller amounts.

It seems that, either the lottery organizers are idiots, and they will have much explaining to do when they are empty handed at the end, or you made a bad investment.

From what I can tell this is basically an accumulation of several weeks of nobody winning and the prize pool growing. No different from a weekly lottery for the organizers, only the prize has gotten so large that the cost is leveling with the chance.

Don't buy more than $5 worth of tickets though.

[SalmonGod]

Guy sitting next to me at the office organized a group pool.  Ten people all pitched in $5.  I'd never spent money on lottery before, and it seemed like the only remotely sensible opportunity I'd ever had to do so.  I don't plan on making a habit of it, so what's $5 thrown one time at a very small chance for a life-changing event.

[RedWarrior0]

Unless I misunderstand how a lottery works, if a lottery was a good investment for the players, there would be no purpose in running a lottery. Consider that there must be 640,000,000 in losses to pay the one winner. It is the same for the smaller amounts.

It seems that, either the lottery organizers are idiots, and they will have much explaining to do when they are empty handed at the end, or you made a bad investment.

It's like a casino or insurance company: A large percent of the time, everyone is buying a lot with no payoff, such that one big hit doesn't actually hurt that much.

[Fenrir]

I am sorry, but I do not see how that expands or refutes my point. I can not tell if you mean to say that I am wholly or partially mistaken.