1 Billion dollars

The Mega Millions lottery is up to 1 billion dollars. There is a drawing tonight.

Mega Millions

I do not gamble a lot but I bought a ticket today. What the heck? Worth a shot.

a reply to: Blueracer

1 billion! Do you know how many lottery ticket you can buy with 1 billion?!?

a reply to: Blueracer

Thanks for the reminder!!

I had to run out and buy some. I'd seen the prize was up pretty high the other day and figured it would go up more, but then forgot to check it.

Got some now! Asked the wife, and she'd already bought some too. LOL!

Aside from drug money lottery money must be the most cursed there is. Stir far clear!

a reply to: Naftalin

... Do you know how many lottery ticket you can buy with 1 billion?!?

Yes, actually I do! It will buy exactly 500,000,000 tickets (without the power play option)! 250,000,000 if you purchase the Double Power Play option (which is $2 per ticket). This multiplies the winnings by 2x.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
... and win the next jackpot 503 times only to have to split it with 503 you's ....

My hope is the new year ticket. 10€ for a 1:250 000 chance to win a million. Only gamble I do once a year I buy one ticket. I know other that buy 20 ticket to force Fortuna. I let her come to me...

a reply to: Naftalin

You are correct. The increase in odds of winning between buying (1) ticket versus (100) tickets is almost negligible. Still, there is a microscopic difference.

Like yourself, I only buy lottery tickets when the Lotto gets up to, or over, a billion dollars. The way I look at it, the odds are the same if the jackpot is only $50 bucks, so why play? But, when the jackpot is over $1 billion, well, I'm a sucker! Why not? BUT, I only play once or twice a year.

Some call it a "voluntary tax", and I agree with this to a certain extent. It's corrupt as hell, but if I can win a few million, I'm not gonna worry about it. Selfish? Yes, I'll admit it, but if I disappear one day, well, you might know why! LOL!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Same for me. Like a rat I want a piece of the cheese too, when it is becoming big and the news

I have always sayed, if I win in lottery I give away a two digit percentage to charity. If I win big I want to make a centrum for craftmanship. There, people can come in and repair their things or learn new skills and have heated detailed argument about what wood type is better for a rocking chair or how the grind marks on the tip of wolfram electrode must look under our brand new electron microscope that we then have.

Dreams...

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Naftalin

You are correct. The increase in odds of winning between buying (1) ticket versus (100) tickets is almost negligible. Still, there is a microscopic difference.

Like yourself, I only buy lottery tickets when the Lotto gets up to, or over, a billion dollars. The way I look at it, the odds are the same if the jackpot is only $50 bucks, so why play? But, when the jackpot is over $1 billion, well, I'm a sucker! Why not? BUT, I only play once or twice a year.

Some call it a "voluntary tax", and I agree with this to a certain extent. It's corrupt as hell, but if I can win a few million, I'm not gonna worry about it. Selfish? Yes, I'll admit it, but if I disappear one day, well, you might know why! LOL!

It is a tax on the poor and stupid. Majority of players are overwhelmingly poor. People in the bottom 1% of income zip codes spend 5x's as much on lotto tickets per year as those in the top 1% zip codes. Depending on study, average lotto player spends $1000/yr on tickets.

Like you, I'll blow $20 or so once or twice a year when jacket pots get absurdly large. The way I figure it, someone has to win. It is fun to dream.

I'm not going to play tonight, with odds at one in three hundred thirty million, I would say it is not worth the two bucks. Years back, the odds were better at winning the small prizes so you could get your money back but now, you rarely win anything.

If I get free money for spinning the michigan lottery wheel, I will sometimes buy tickets for bigger drawings with poor chances of winning, but I don't have any free money built up in there right now, I did use some of my free spin money to buy a couple of tickets for two of the last draws...eight bucks worth. I had one ten bucks of free play with a spin. But used it all up.

If chances of winning the megamillion are three hundred thirty million to one, my chance of winning with my luck is three hundred thirty billion to one.

a reply to: rickymouse

It's funny...as a person who studied math and physics for nearly 20 years in HS and college, you are exactly right. There is almost no possible chance to win. I could go through the probabilities and permutations of buying one ticket or (500) tickets, but the net result is almost exactly the same.

Bottom line...I'm smarter than that. RIGHT?

NO, I still take a chance when it hits a "billion". I don't play every week, or even that often, but when it hits a billion...shoot it's at least worth a chance. Do I buy more than (1) ticket? Yes. Is it futile? Yes. But somewhere, deep down in the millions to millions against one I get a tiny bit of leverage.

Will I win? Probably not. Do I delude myself into winning? No. It's fun to think about though...if only for a moment.

So, did I buy some tickets? Yeah. I bought $40 bucks worth.

If I win...well, you'll never know, because I'll post as usual (maybe). And, if I don't win, well...I don't know. LOL!!!

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: rickymouse

It's funny...as a person who studied math and physics for nearly 20 years in HS and college, you are exactly right. There is almost no possible chance to win. I could go through the probabilities and permutations of buying one ticket or (500) tickets, but the net result is almost exactly the same.

Bottom line...I'm smarter than that. RIGHT?

NO, I still take a chance when it hits a "billion". I don't play every week, or even that often, but when it hits a billion...shoot it's at least worth a chance. Do I buy more than (1) ticket? Yes. Is it futile? Yes. But somewhere, deep down in the millions to millions against one I get a tiny bit of leverage.

Will I win? Probably not. Do I delude myself into winning? No. It's fun to think about though...if only for a moment.

So, did I buy some tickets? Yeah. I bought $40 bucks worth.

If I win...well, you'll never know, because I'll post as usual (maybe). And, if I don't win, well...I don't know. LOL!!!

Buying one ticket is not bad, maybe five if you can afford to lose it would be ok....just entertainment at that amount. Ten bucks buys you a couple of beers in a bar.

If I ever won, none of you would know about it because I would have a heart attack and die as soon as I found I had won. I wouldn't have to worry how to spend the money if I was dead.

A lot of people buy tickets thinking they will be lucky and win, I knew people who spent way more than they could afford to spend on Lotto through the years. It took food off their table.

The odds of winning are better gambling with stocks in the stock market because you can actually research the companies who's stock you buy. But there really is no Rationality in how a stock will do anymore these days, companies stock values often are a hundred times the worth of the company. It is almost more deceptive than gambling at a casino sometimes these days. But a lot of people have lost plenty in the stock market too over the years, we have lost some on some ventures, but we are getting older and waiting for a rise in value after it crashes down might mean if we need the money we are selling at no profit....so we pulled most of the money out of stocks years ago. Banks pay crap, but at least it is available within a few days if we buy a car or need extra money.