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Jimmytowne t1_j9ryde8 wrote

It’s just a tax for people who don’t understand math and probabilities.

I play the lottery because it allows me to daydream about a better life but no way do I think I’d win a jackpot

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MeatierShowa t1_j9tdfb9 wrote

The odds on Cash 5 Jackpot are 1 : 1,221,759. The jackpot can climb over a million a few times a year, so as Lotteries go, it's not a terrible game to play for fun every now and then.

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Jimmytowne t1_j9te1a2 wrote

Imagine being in a field with 1,000,000 people. And I said “everyone give me a dollar and one of you may win $1M”. Sounds like a deal because “someone’s gotta win it, could be me!” But then I said “there’s also a better chance that nobody wins. Then you have to give me another dollar, but instead of $2M for $2, it’s going to be $1.3M. Also, good chance nobody wins that either”.

If there was a one in a million chance of dying in a plane crash, you’d feel safe that you aren’t going to crash. But if the outcome of that 1 in a million is in your favor, your perception changes.

I agree that having a lottery ticket allows you to dream of a better life. If the drawing is every day, your feel good dream lasts 24hrs until the results come out and then your dream dies. So I’d rather play power ball or mega millions because that ticket allows me to dream for a few days until the drawing

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whskid2005 t1_j9ta8ab wrote

I’ll play on occasion for entertainment purposes only. Most of that entertainment comes from pipe dreams- especially if it’s like the billion lotto we had a few months ago.

If I buy scratch offs- I check to see how many outstanding prizes are available so I can pick a game that still has winners.

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