Annoyances

[bojanglesman]

And I always counter that argument by suggesting that you look at the basic math.

I spend $10 on lottery tickets when I remember, probably every couple of weeks. Let's call it $250 a year. If I didn't spend that, I'd have an extra $250 a year (my winnings just get recycled back into the lottery). What could I do with $250 that would profoundly and fundamentally change my life for the better?

Let's look at it over ten years. $2500 is an OK vacation somewhere sunny. Nice to have, but is one additional vacation every ten years going to profoundly and fundamentally change my life for the better? Is it a vacation I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford? How about over fifty years? $12,500 is an OK used car. In the grand scheme of my life this money has next to zero opportunity cost.

I put it to you that unless you are on the breadline and every dollar and cent counts, you're stupid not to play the lottery. Sure, the chances of winning are infinitesimally small, but giving yourself a small chance to profoundly and fundamentally change your life for the better at the cost of absolutely nothing is a no-brainer decision. You're an idiot if you don't play.

I would argue that the chance of that $2500 vacation every 10 years profoundly changing your life is as likely as you winning enough money in the lottery to profoundly change your life.

[SixFeetDeep]

And I always counter that argument by suggesting that you look at the basic math.

I spend $10 on lottery tickets when I remember, probably every couple of weeks. Let's call it $250 a year. If I didn't spend that, I'd have an extra $250 a year (my winnings just get recycled back into the lottery). What could I do with $250 that would profoundly and fundamentally change my life for the better?

Let's look at it over ten years. $2500 is an OK vacation somewhere sunny. Nice to have, but is one additional vacation every ten years going to profoundly and fundamentally change my life for the better? Is it a vacation I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford? How about over fifty years? $12,500 is an OK used car. In the grand scheme of my life this money has next to zero opportunity cost.

I put it to you that unless you are on the breadline and every dollar and cent counts, you're stupid not to play the lottery. Sure, the chances of winning are infinitesimally small, but giving yourself a small chance to profoundly and fundamentally change your life for the better at the cost of absolutely nothing is a no-brainer decision. You're an idiot if you don't play.

And how many times have you won the lottery?

[Johnny English]

I would argue that the chance of that $2500 vacation every 10 years profoundly changing your life is as likely as you winning enough money in the lottery to profoundly change your life.

OK, but it isn't like I'm not going to have that vacation anyway. That's the point. I'm not going to have anything I wouldn't otherwise have, it's such a small amount over such a long period as to be an irrelevance.

[Johnny English]

And how many times how you won the lottery?

How is that a relevant point?

[AlioTheFool]

I would argue that the chance of that $2500 vacation every 10 years profoundly changing your life is as likely as you winning enough money in the lottery to profoundly change your life.

Statistically: more likely.

[bojanglesman]

OK, but it isn't like I'm not going to have that vacation anyway. That's the point. I'm not going to have anything I wouldn't otherwise have, it's such a small amount over such a long period as to be an irrelevance.

True, you'd have that vacation anyway, but we're talking about the vacation you'd have with the lottery money you didn't spend.

[MBGreen]

everybody STFU and buy your lotto tickets like good lemmings.

[Johnny English]

True, you'd have that vacation anyway, but we're talking about the vacation you'd have with the lottery money you didn't spend.

But I'm not going to have an extra vacation with that money. I'm not putting $5 a week away dutifully in order to have an extra vacation in ten years' time. No-one does that excrement.

[SixFeetDeep]

The worst part about the lottery is that the people that can afford it the least play it the most.  you're an idiot if you play.

[Badger]

It doesn't change the fact that the odds are better of something traumatically life-changing happening to you on the way to purchase the ticket than of you actually positively changing your life by winning.

You're right. They need to come up with a way for me to play the lotto without leaving home.

Disclaimer: I don't buy lotto tickets.

[AlioTheFool]

The worst part about the lottery is that the people that can afford it the least play it the most.  you're an idiot if you play.

QFT

[Johnny English]

The worst part about the lottery is that the people that can afford it the least play it the most.  you're an idiot if you play.

But I can afford it, so why wouldn't I? I already said that my logic doesn't apply if you're on the breadline, but I'm not. The lottery costs me on average less than a beer per week.

[Johnny English]

You're right. They need to come up with a way for me to play the lotto without leaving home.

Disclaimer: I don't buy lotto tickets.

In the UK you can buy tickets online. You can even set up a standing order from your bank so your tickets are purchased and the money debited automatically.

[Badger]

But I can afford it, so why wouldn't I? I already said that my logic doesn't apply if you're on the breadline, but I'm not. The lottery costs me on average less than a beer per week.

Why are you trying to steal lottery winnings from the poor?

[SixFeetDeep]

But I can afford it, so why wouldn't I? I already said that my logic doesn't apply if you're on the breadline, but I'm not. The lottery costs me on average less than a beer per week.

you can afford to play the stock market too, and actually get return on your investment, but I'm not in the business of telling people how to spend their money.  truth is I spend money on stuff wayyyy more useless than the lottery.