The lottery is +EV

[Lottery Larry]

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Mega Millions up to $250 mill. No one won. Im sure I can scrounge up $10 in change that I find around my room and play. Ill post my numbers here after I get the tickets.

[/ QUOTE ]

So I can play the same numbers and cut your prize in half? Or so I'll know whether to move to your neighborhood?

[csuf_gambler]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

$250 million
$37 million

i have never asked for anything in my life,

[/ QUOTE ]

Liar. And what's the 37 million? Did you mean 137M for the cash prize?

[/ QUOTE ]

no, its 2 separate jackpots. one is for the mega millions(250). the other one is for the california suppoer lotto, which is up to 41 million right now.

[Blarg]

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I just bought (partially) a lottery ticket for the first time and it's a good move. Everyone at work is buying a share of a ticket (apparently the jackpot in NY is high right now) at the urging of one of our admins. If they won and I was the guy who didn't get rich because I made a smart gamble, I would have to kill myself. Thus, the infinitesimal probability of not having to kill myself tomorrow is +EV.

[/ QUOTE ]

There's no way I wouldn't blow my brains out if all my co-workers quit work rich and I had to stay on because I hadn't chipped in. That kept me buying tickets too. This is an excellent reason.

But when some people started trying to up the bi-weekly contributions to 5 and even 25 or 50 dollars, I got kind of pissed off and voted against it. I didn't want them murdering me that way! A buck or even two at a shot I don't mind, but five or 50 bucks? Screw that, that much I can actually imagine spending. Keeping it down to 1 or 2 dollars was a life and death struggle.

[Blarg]

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This is just a recipe for disaster. I especially like how after the tickets are bought everyone sits around and talks about how they'll spend their share.

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That's the fun and really the entire value of it. You're buying a few moments of happy fantasy. It's the people who talk about it as an investment that seriously scare the living crap out of me. Those people should have their ties, shoelaces, and belt buckles confiscated and be locked up somewhere soft and safe before they hurt themselves or others.

[Blarg]

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Whats that movie where a bunch of friends win the lottery chipping in weekly? It ends with one friend killing all the other friends gruesomely so they can keep all the money. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you've just described a universal human fantasy.

[Blarg]

I think I saw on the news yesterday that the California lottery was then 250 million.

[JordanIB]

I won!!! $3!!

[maryfield48]

Are you looking for backers, sfer? PM me if yes.