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Yahoothats so dumb
posted on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 10:38am
That's how lotteries are often described. The odds of winning the top prize in the Mega Millions lottery is more than 600 times worse than your odds of getting hit by lightning. Yet people continue to play. Why?
Professor Lloyd Cohen suggests people aren't paying for the chance so much as they are paying for the dream. They enjoy fantasizing about winning, the same way people enjoy reading lifestyle magazines or watching movies of the rich and famous. And at one dollar a pop, a lottery ticket is not only cheaper than these other forms of entertainment, it actually has a chance -- no matter how infinitesimally tiny -- of actually paying off.
Your Comments, Thoughts, Questions, Ideas
I totally buy this theory.
I rarely, if ever, buy lottery tickets. But when I do, it's because of a big potential payout, and I spend the evening before the drawing thinking about what I'd do with the money if I won. Sometimes we even do it as a family even, comparing dreams and sometimes being surprised at what we learn about each other.
I know I won't win. But it's fun thinking about the endowments I'd create and the things I'd do if money were no obstacle.
posted on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 12:33pm
I always liked what writer Fran Liebowitz had to say about it:
"I figure you have the same chances of winning the lottery whether you play it or not."
posted on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 2:00pm
I had wanted to use that in the post, but couldn't figure out how to make it fit! Thanks! ;-)
posted on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 5:27pm
even though i hate math, i think its ridiculous that people are taxed for being bad at math.
posted on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 2:13pm
It's a joke. People aren't really taxed. What it means is, the government sells the lottery tickets, and you'd have to be pretty bad at math to think buying one was a good idea.
posted on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 4:27pm
Math is a great thing in your life and it may be tough sometimes but it is an important thing in your lifetime....you use it all the time in almost everything... Even though I don't like science calculating it is the funnest part! oh ya math is good... ya know
posted on Fri, 03/23/2007 - 3:06pm
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