Comment on You can't win the lottery
AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social 10 months ago
The lotto is an additional tax for people who don't understand math
I always feel it's more of a tax on hope. I know a few folks who play and the understand the odds very well... but what if!
'What if' can be very appealing for only £2, even if it is incredibly, incredibly, (repeat incredibly a thousand more times) unlikely.
Sucker tax
What a silly belief. Everyone knows the odds are ridiculous. It’s just that people are still hoping they’d win
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 10 months ago
A lot of people understand how unfair the math is, and still buy the tickets because “you never know.”
Source: I buy tickets sometimes because you never know…
verysoft@kbin.social 10 months ago
If you can afford it, then it's no harm really. I've made a profit from the lottery myself, albeit a minor one. Depending on the lottery, it's not the worst thing you can give pocket changes away to for a bit of fun.
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I think the big problem is that people who are addicted to gambling are being suckered several times a week. It’s not really gambling, it’s buying a daydream. If a casino gave you similar odds in one of their slots, it would likely be illegal based on the odds and the payout. So people who think of it like gambling are getting the worst of it. The expected value never approaches anything close to fair, even at rhe highest jackpots.
brbposting@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
This article agrees. Huge caveat:
Vox, “4 ways the lottery preys on the poor”, 2016
pyrflie@lemm.ee 10 months ago
shalafi@lemmy.world 10 months ago
One the most memorable reddit posts of all time:
old.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/…/chb38xf/
verysoft@kbin.social 10 months ago
Entirely dependent on the lottery, the only one I have heard of this being a thing is the main US one. You can remain completely anonymous in the major European lotteries.
Honytawk@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
No, we do know. You will not win once.
Somebody might win a huge amount, but that one will not be you. I can guarantee that.
Maalus@lemmy.world 10 months ago
How can you guarantee that? The chance is close to zero, but not zero - ergo you cannot be 100% sure that they won’t win.
And that’s the point they are trying to make - you don’t need to be 100% logical to enjoy life. Sure, they probably won’t win. But thinking they might, the anticipation of scratching the tickets, etc, is worth it to them.
piecat@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Oh no, I spent $3 to dream of being rich. Anyways
Phen@lemmy.eco.br 10 months ago
I would sometimes buy one just to have something to wait for. It’s cheaper than buying trash online.
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 10 months ago
whip up some pizza dough and spend the week waiting for it to proof, then at the end you get a delicious pizza to look forward to