I vowed never to buy a lottery ticket

[FLPanhandle]

However, I'm breaking my vow and will buy ONE ticket. Apparently my greed is overruling my head.

[gwheezie]

2. I'm going to buy puppy island

With the money.

[orpupilofnature57]

3. It would pay most of my bills .

[pintobean]

4. Does this mean your math skills can be bought?

I'm not bad at math. The odds are the same for a 15 million dollar jackpot as they are for a 1.3 Billion dollar jackpot. The money I spend on the lottery isn't a tax, it's entertainment. Instead of the profits going to business, they're going to the state.

[FLPanhandle]

7. I know buying a lottery ticket is the same a throwing money down the toilet

But, like you said, I'm looking at this one as entertainment.

[pintobean]

9. I've gotta make up for the taxes I stopped paying

on cigarettes, anyway.

[dixiegrrrrl]

27. At least you CAN buy a ticket..I live in teh one of the 4 states where they are illegal.

or not legal
whatever.
Ala, Miss, Utah and Nev. do not have lotteries.

and I am on the Miss. side of Ala, so don't get a chance to drive over the Fla. border to buy.

Wish you much luck!

[Snobblevitch]

33. You forgot Alaska and Hawaii.

[dixiegrrrrl]

39. I did, you are correct. n/t

[Logical]

5. Gambling is the same. Stupid. But people do it. nt

[yeoman6987]

28. I put my head down in shame.

I just bought 10 dollars worth about 45 minutes ago.

[Logical]

30. I did too! But admit it is stupid. nt

[yeoman6987]

31. Oh yeah. But if only that was the only stupid thing I have done with money. Lol

[Iggo]

40. The pleasure is to play. Makes no difference what you say.

[Logical]

43. Did I ever say you should not? Feeling guilty? nt

[CTyankee]

6. well, only ONE ticket is needed to win so why not?

[FLPanhandle]

8. Yep.

What the hell. I may have to amend my rule and provide an exclusion for payouts over $1 billion.

[MillennialDem]

18. But you're not going to win :p I have to admit, it tempts me though as the

expected value approaches, if not exceeds $2 and I'm a math prof.

[mnhtnbb]

10. I haven't bought a lottery ticket in 20 years...but I think I'm going to buy one

before Wednesday.

If you're not in it, you can't win it! Somebody--or bodies--is going to win one of these days.

[FLPanhandle]

11. Join me in my shame.

What the hell. One time. One ticket.

[MillennialDem]

19. But if you're not in, you can't lose.

[mnhtnbb]

32. Oh, yes, but should you win, what's your ROI?

[MillennialDem]

34. But you won't win

[mnhtnbb]

35. Somebody will win. Whether it's me or someone else, the same ROI applies.

I always put a $20 in a Salvation Army kettle every Christmas. What do I get back? Just a good feeling.
With this $20. I might get a LOT more back...either way, I figure I can't win it if I'm not in it.

BTW, I have the $20. to spare...so for me, it's just a lark.

[MillennialDem]

37. I'm not saying you can't spend your money the way you want or that no one will win. I'm

just saying YOU will not win. I can make that bet quite comfortably.

[mrs_p]

12. I'm of the same thinking

Will maybe buy one. Even a minuscule fraction of that money would go a long way.

[TwilightGardener]

13. We only buy tickets in this house when the jackpot becomes a news story.

Maybe once every couple years. It's stupid, we should play when it's "low" and the odds are better. So, yeah...we're silly.

[MillennialDem]

20. The odds are the same, are they not? I haven't studied the lottery in great detail.

[stopwastingmymoney]

29. Yes, they are the same

The odds of winning are based on the number of possible combinations, not on how much is in the pool.

[TwilightGardener]

44. I haven't thought much about it--I guess it's not a drawing

nor based on tickets sold, so it must be true that the odds are the same.

[rock]

14. Remember the Lottery's commercial

You can't lose unless you buy a ticket. Or something like that.

[LiberalElite]

38. It was

Ya gotta be in it to win it.

[smirkymonkey]

15. I'm in a pool at work. My only goal is to pay my student loan off.

It would be nice to buy a permanent place to live as well. I'm just looking for security, not riches.

[HughBeaumont]

16. Yet, the person(s) who wins it . . . they're usually bad at math.

So there is that.

[MillennialDem]

21. Out of the millions that lose. /shrug

[FrodosPet]

17. The powerball is mathematically almost a good bet right now.

Odds: 1 in 292 Million.

Cost of ticket: $2.

After Tax Cash Option Payout required for Powerball to have a Positive Expectation Value > 1.0: $584 Million

Estimated pre-tax cash option required for a PEV > 1.0: $973 Million

Current Cash value per powerball.com: $806 Million

YMMV depending on your tax situation.

[MillennialDem]

23. Well, it also depends on whether the winnings are split. Having said that, I don't buy

tickets (don't think I ever have as an adult. Think I got my mom to buy a ticket or two when I was under 14).

But at the same time if I did finally break down and buy a ticket.

I wouldn't be heart broken if I won and it was split. Even among 100 people.

[hfojvt]

22. I am generally pretty good at math

My calculations say that - if I spend $208 a year on tickets that will not impact my life that much.

Yet doing so gives me a chance, not a huge chance, but a chance nonetheless. A chance for freedom, a chance for happiness.

[MillennialDem]

24. I want to set up my own lotto (not for profit, always a $1 million jackpot, no splitting). I'd call

it the quit work lotto, but it's illegal to do so.

[edgineered]

25. For all those who have ever wanted -

A person to go away,
to leave them alone,
or even to just stop talking,
the winner will be happy to oblige
and make everyone regret their wish.

Buy a ticket just for the Schadenfreude of it.

[Renew Deal]

26. Instant billionaire

[justiceischeap]

42. The NEW American dream.

Getting ahead by winning the lotto, 'cause there's hardly any other way.

[mfcorey1]

36. +100000

[aikoaiko]

41. In GA, about 30% goes to education. I'm doing my civic duty by playing.

[ScreamingMeemie]

45. Having spent 4 years working the counter at a convenience store recently...

...and watching the same losers (I say that because they always lost) buy tickets, and sometimes lose hundreds on both scratchers and lottery... I'm richer for keeping my money in my pocket. I will never buy another lottery ticket. Instead, I'm going to write the Great American Novel.

[Liberal_in_LA]

46. k&r

[ohnoyoudidnt]

47. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning while being eaten by a shark

but what the hell. It's only 2 bucks for a few fun thoughts.

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. Hey the odds are well against me and you

but it if fun to dream...

So yes, we have. If we hit it, well then I think retirement will be nice.

[hunter]

49. 90% odds this will be a destroyer of lives...

... or that the Shadow Government is now vetting this.

Nope. Not gonna play.