Poll Preview: What Are Your Lottery Habits?

The question for our next poll is: Do you play the lottery?

The most accessible gambling during the shutdown has been the lottery.

Everyone knows what a bad bet the lottery is; the odds against hitting state jackpots are one in millions, while the odds in the big multi-state lotteries are one in hundreds of millions. Still, the dream of instant riches (and the end to all financial worries) is strong and the question for our poll next week is, does that tempt you?

Knowing what a big edge the lottery has on ticket buyers, do you still play? Has your aversion to the lottery based on the odds changed during the pandemic? Has gambling math gone out the window or have you held on to a previous attitude that the lottery is a colossal waste of money?

The following are the choices from a poll we ran nearly five years ago, plus a couple concerning COVID-19. If you have suggestions for any others, we welcome them in the comment boxes.

* I always buy a ticket for at least one lottery, state and/or national - it’s an affordable cheap thrill for me and you just never know.

* I play my state lottery, but not the huge national ones, as the chances of winning in that big of a field just seem too remote to bother.

* I play my state lottery, but not the huge national ones; I wouldn't mind winning a few million, but jackpots in the hundreds, or even tens, of millions scare me and I don't need all those money headaches.

* I sometimes purchase a ticket for Powerball or Mega Millions, but only if there’s a big rollover jackpot.

* I have never been, and will never be, tempted to play the lottery; it’s just too lousy of a bet for me to consider.

* I don’t play the lottery; I’ve read so many horror stories about a huge jackpot ruining someone’s life that I’d actually be afraid of the possible consequences if I won.

* My state doesn't have a lottery and I’m not prepared to go to the trouble of crossing the state line to buy a ticket, so for me it’s simply not an option.

* I'm not at all interested in the lottery and that's all I want to say about it.

* I never considered buying a ticket before the shutdown of most other forms of gambling, but I like having action, so I've bought some lottery tickets since.

* Even if the lottery were the last gambling option in the world, I still wouldn't play.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

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Comments

Dave in Seattle. Apr-22-2020

HELL,NO!

Play Russian roulette or another crazy game!
Keno is not that much better.
128 million? No,I don't want it.

Ray Apr-22-2020

more lottery

My wife used to play the lottery, and we still get scratch-off tickets to add as gifts to friends or relatives for birthdays, Christmas, etc. But ever since we have had other, better paying options, (casinos and slot pop-ups), the only times we buy tickets are for gifts.

Randall Ward Apr-22-2020

lottery

maybe add something about scratchers, a lot of people buy those.  Personally rarely buy for myself but give them as gifts

Edso Apr-22-2020

Only for the Big Payday

I get tickets when it's up to the big money.  My wife loves the scratchers and probably gets a $5 worth a week.

Pamela Apr-22-2020

State Lottery

I subscribe to the New York state lottery because the state's take is supposed to go to education. I have several grandchildren in public schools so the $104 for two drawings a week for a year seems like a small sum and you never know. Now whether the money actually goes to education is another matter, but as a retiree of local government, I don't pay state income tax on my pension so it's my little contribution on top of the exorbitant taxes on gasoline and sales tax.

David Miller Apr-22-2020

Giant Jackpots

Whenever the lottery payoff gets to be huge, I will buy two tickets - one I choose the numbers and the other one the machine picks. You never know...

Bobby White Apr-22-2020

Short story long

We play the Texas lottery 5 sets of numbers for 20 years, The Mega Millions & Power Ball each 3 sets of numbers for 10 years costs $280 per month or $3,360 a year. As we renew each month we have won from $12 to $240, twice won $600 redeemed at Lottery commission. On Oct 2 2014, we hit 4#s plus bonus ball on Power Ball, Super Wow $20,000, Lottery Comm issues check for $15 thou & change, deduct $4,995 fed tax .  Thanks to 4 Vegas trips & other gambling loses do itemized deducts on tax forms, get $4,712 on tax return. Are we even , no but fun & plan on another big hit.

AndyM Apr-22-2020

Nope

Only play is in Vegas. No equal.

[email protected] Apr-22-2020

Other Gambling

Actually there is a much more attractive form of gambling still available - horse racing.  Although the number of tracks has greatly diminished, due to the lack of alternatives those left are thriving.  Tiny tracks like Fonner Park and Blue Ribbon Downs have seen weekday handles over $5 million!

Bumbug Apr-22-2020

I subscribe

I subscribe to both Mega Millions and Powerball. I know my chance to win is practically infinitesimal but at least I know I'm in on every drawing and who knows - eventually someone has to win so why not me? A friend once told me that he subscribed because it allowed him to daydream about what he'd do if he actually won, and I liked that so I started subscribing, too.

Apr-23-2020

Scratch Offs

I buy the occasional scratch off

Dave Apr-23-2020

Gifts

I get scratch offs as gifts.

Matthew Apr-23-2020

Only when EV > 100% (kind of)

I play Powerball or Mega Millions when the theoretical expected value for a single winner is greater than 100%, about $650M. Yes, I know that split pots lower the actual EV below 100%, and I know about gambler’s ruin. But it’s a way to limit my play to just a few times per year.

steve crouse Apr-23-2020

Never

Never bought a ticket.
Never will.
It's a sucker's bet.

Question of the Day - 22 April 2020

Comments