Are lottery scratch tickets by far the worst way of gambling?

[youtalkfunny]

"More than 100%? That's not possible!"

But it IS possible. And they do it every week. In some states, 2 or 3 times per week.

First, they rake 50%. If you win, they just dropped half the pot down the rake.

No prob, you're thinking. Push me the pot, dealer, I'll live.

But the dealer DOESN'T push you the pot. He KEEPS the pot, invests that money, and kicks 5% per annum your way, for 20 years.

So half went down the rake. The other half gets invested for 20 years, and gets dropped down the rake at that point.

Also, any interest that money generates above the 5% that they owe you? They keep that, too.

"But that extra interest doesn't count as 'rake'. You said MORE THAN 100%. I'll grant that they skimmed 50% up front, and got the other 50% twenty years later. That adds up to 100%. You said MORE THAN 100%. Is there more?"

You bet your sweet Aunt Fanny there's more...


...THEY TAX YOU! Give 'em back HALF of what they push you!

And watch 'em drop it down the rake!

(How can any state that generates hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue this way...how can they DARE to impose any tax on anything else? How can you NOT be able to run a state on that much money?)

[clovenhoof]