What is your opinion of lotteries?

[charming23]

My dad always used to play the same numbers every week just like my grandfather did and he actually won some money once. Not a huge jackpot in the millions but about $10,000 after taxes. Now that he is gone I sometimes get a ticket but instead of everyweek I spend one dollar a month to keep the tradition going.

 

[amsyw]

Wow... I'm actually suprised at the unevenness this unofficial poll has represented. Obviously there ARE people playing or they lotteries would go belly up. I think there are probably people reading this thread that play and probably play often but are afraid to get flamed or be accused of being the stupid man that the "stupid man's tax" refers to.

I am included in a family pool that plays the power ball 2x a week. We put in $2 for each drawing. We would get 2 shares of whatever is won. There are currently 17 shares being played. ($17 each drawing) So if we were to win a big jackpot we aren't going to be multi-millionaires, but we could certainly be comfortable. The thought behind it was that we each were playing occasionally when the pot got big. But collectively we could play more often with the same amount of $ and increase our odds.

Of all of the family that is included there is only one person that really isn't "comfortably" living. That is my sister and she is a single mom/college student getting her PHD. She does 1 share each drawing so she is out $104 per year. We spend $208 per year. Neither of the these amounts are going to break anyone's bank account unless you are dangerously hovering at the moment.

I have no vices. As a matter of fact I am a MAJOR couponer and save my family hunderds if not thousands of $$ a year on getting good deals on foods/hba's etc from my grocery and Walgreens.

My dh makes a VERY good living for us. I work PT for vacations and extras. We pay our bills etc etc etc.

I guess if you want to call me "stupid" so be it. I just don't see spending $4 a week that wasteful when I just cleaned out my refrigerator and threw away probably 2 or 3 times that amount in wasted food!

My sister in law won $30,000 on a scratcher ticket I have no idea how much she plays or how much $$ she has spent in her lifetime but I'm fairly certain that it would be fair to say that it is no where near the $30,000 that she won. (They paid off all their bills except mortgage and took their family on their 1st trip to WDW!) My husband occasionally purchases scratchers thinking he can be so lucky!

just my 2c!

 

[Free4Life11]

Well I think that gambling is a legitimate form of entertainment. That being said I really detest it and I think you have to have the right mindset and realize that it is entertainment ONLY. It is not an investment.

I think it is too easy to get addicted. My grandpa was addicted and it was horrible -- he gambled away the life savings, took out a second mortgage, took out secret credit cards and would do cash advance, it was a complete mess and they kept it all a secret for a long time. It's the lies and deception that are the worst. After he died my grandma sold the house and didn't get to keep a penny of the money -- it all went to pay off the mortgage and creditors.

 

[luvsJack]

Actually, I think it does much more to give a buck to a charity than half a penny. At least with a buck they can put it with two more and buy a gallon of milk to feed someone who is hungry.

The lottery takes advantage of people in hard times, with addictions, and those not 'quick" enough to figure out they will lose more than they win. That is how it functions. It is like keno in the casinos. A sucker's bet.

Actually most of the games in the casinos are a sucker's bet. Those who own them didn't get rich by giving away too much money. My son is a table games dealer, there just aren't that many winners.

Its not the lottery that is taking advantage of people. They are doing it to themselves. Those people weren't exactly rolling in dough before the lottery were they--were they really doing a better job of handling their money before? Besides, have you ever told someone the odds of winning and really and truly had them say "dang! I didn't know that!" The majority really does know they don't have a snowballs chance in winning, they just want to have that dream (some just don't realize they are spending more than they can afford to have that dream, but then they may not realize they are spending more than they can afford on clothes or eating out or whatever else they may do)

Games in casinos are for entertainment only and that is basically what the lottery is too. Its entertainment that has money going to a good cause (regardless of how little of that money actually gets there). If that person spent that dollar on a beer instead of a lottery ticket, how much would go to education? Or if that person went to the local nightclub instead of to the casinos, how much would go to an even decent cause?

I am not a gambler. I just don't think the lottery (or the casinos) is the root of all evil either.

 

[wdwfan16]

If someone purchases something they have that object. If you purchase a lottery ticket you have only a wish and a piece of paper. There is a difference. I think it is stupid to spend money on a worthless piece of paper. You, however, are free to blow your money on as many of these worthless pieces of paper as you choose. I think I'll go out and buy a soda instead!

You buy a soda, drink it, toss the can in the recycling bin and then piss it out. How is that keeping the item?

 

[Scurvy]

My stance is play money is play money. One person is no more "wasting it" if they go to the casino then the next person who may have a "shoe fetishes".

That is my feeling, as well. My sister allows herself two Starbucks lattes every week. She loves them, can afford them, and considers the enjoyment she gets from them well worth the few dollars she spends on them. I allow myself two lottery tickets each week. I enjoy them, I can afford them, and I find the entertainment value well worth the few dollars I spend on them. I don't see the difference - they might both be a waste of money, but it's our money and we can choose what we want to do with it.

My husband and I go to Vegas occasionally and while we are there we spend some time gambling. We never expect to win, but we use the money exactly the way we use it on the video games in an arcade - for entertainment. We compete to see which of us can leave with the most money each evening. I don't think that's any different than if we were using the money for any other form of entertainment, and I don't see how the lottery is any different than that is.

Now poor folk who gamble without being able to afford bread, is a entirely different story.

I agree with this as well. However, I don't see the difference between the people who spend money on the lottery and those who spend money on other things they can't afford. It's a problem with the people who can't budget, not with the lottery. No one is forcing anyone to spend money they can't afford to spend. It's no different to me than my uncle who drove himself into bankruptcy with his "get rich quick" schemes. I think it's silly to blame the lottery for someone's financial problems. If someone will spend money they can't afford to lose on the lottery, they'll find something else to spend it on if the lottery isn't available.

 

[Ava]

I agree with those who view the lottery as a form of entertainment. I don't play very often - Mega Millions when the jackpot gets over $100 million, and the occasional scratch off. It's fun to dream about what I'd do if I won big, and we can afford the few dollars a month I might spend on it. A few weeks ago when the Mega Millions got up really high, some co-workers and I pitched in and played. It was a stressful time at the office and talking about what we'd do if we won lightened the mood. We won a whopping $2, but no harm no foul. (And hey, someone in the Bronx was one of the winners of the $325 million jackpot! We were close! LOL.)

People who spend money they cannot afford to spend on the lottery are a different story, and their problems would not be solved by the elimination of the lottery.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Well I think that gambling is a legitimate form of entertainment. That being said I really detest it and I think you have to have the right mindset and realize that it is entertainment ONLY. It is not an investment.

I think it is too easy to get addicted. My grandpa was addicted and it was horrible -- he gambled away the life savings, took out a second mortgage, took out secret credit cards and would do cash advance, it was a complete mess and they kept it all a secret for a long time. It's the lies and deception that are the worst. After he died my grandma sold the house and didn't get to keep a penny of the money -- it all went to pay off the mortgage and creditors.

I understand that. People around here regularly spend $500, the limit at the local convenience store, on tickets when it goes up. It is so sad. I'm sorry about your grandpa. That had to have been so hard.

The government hypes it, and in teeny tiny little letters puts the disclaimor to please gamble responibly.

 

[TnTWalter]

Do you guys ever see the show about people who've won the lottery only be in worse shape than when they started? It's always so sad but fascinating to watch.

Having more money doesn't make you better, it makes you more of who you are. So if you're a drug addict with money....big danger, or if you spend more than you make....POOF. Or if you're unahppy before all your relatives and random strangers start knocking at your door....big bummer.

I think you're all saying the same thing....if you can afford to blow $5 $10 $20 $50 and you are not just dreaming about a better future but are planning for it by SAVING, then it's OK.

But many are opposed to the idea of the lottery in general as it tends to prey upon the poor and desperate not just those looking for some entertainment. And has the opportunity to lead to an addiction or at least aggravate an existing one [gambling].

Peace!

Trish

 

[ILuvMulan]

I agree that the lottery is a waste of money.
I hate that my state instituted one (on the sly really) a couple years back.
We pay way to much for the personnel to run it, for the infrastructure, and get very little in return.
The people who play it are throwing away their money.

Our state "education" lottery is a joke and a disgrace. I would rather help our teachers by purchasing items they need for their class, because they see ZERO money from the lottery. If I thought that it would help pay for education then I might play a few dollars now and then... but as you can probably tell... I don't.

 

[luvsJack]

Our state "education" lottery is a joke and a disgrace. I would rather help our teachers by purchasing items they need for their class, because they see ZERO money from the lottery. If I thought that it would help pay for education then I might play a few dollars now and then... but as you can probably tell... I don't.

So does anyone ever question what happens to the money that is supposed to go the schools? Our state doesn't have a lottery, so I don't know a lot about how it works; but assumed that the money is earmarked for the schools and for X% to go to each classroom for supplies (if that is what is going to).

 

[twinnersmama]

I was actually going to post a poll about this ... I am surprised at the majority of "NO"s.

We buy a Powerball ticket when the jackpot gets big. It lets us dream a little of what could be. Occasionally we buy a scratch of ticket -- usually for in cards or Xmas stockings.

 

[disney1990]

Every once in a Blue moon, usually when the jackpot is high, I buy ONE ticket. My feeling is that it only takes one ticket to win and, if I'm supposed to win, I will.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm of the opinion that each adult who purchases a ticket is doing so of their own free will.


I also do not play (Well since I turned 18 anyway)--as I pretty much never win and have never done well at games of chance or dumb luck. I much prefer games of skill.

I'm on the fence of whether it is considered gambling or not--which is a huge sticking point with some folks I know who are against it.

Our state finally has Powerball but it is unlikely that I will ever play. It would be nice to win, but I certainly will not add a line item in my budget to waste on the opportunity to lose.

 

[etoiles]

I play an unofficial lottery game called, "Saved That Money!"

It goes like this:

I don't play the lottery. I then watch the drawing or go to the web site to check the results. When I see my numbers yet again didn't come out, I yell, "Saved That Money!"

This is so hilarious! I am telling DH ab out this and we are going to start playing this each week!

 

[Fish Almighty]

So does anyone ever question what happens to the money that is supposed to go the schools? Our state doesn't have a lottery, so I don't know a lot about how it works; but assumed that the money is earmarked for the schools and for X% to go to each classroom for supplies (if that is what is going to).

In Georgia, most of the money goes to fund pre-K and HOPE scholarships. The pre-K program is free, and if you are a Georgia resident and maintain a B average, your tuition at any state college is paid for. Found this:

The mission of the Georgia Lottery Corporation is to raise revenue for education in Georgia. Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $10.1 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Prekindergarten Program. More than 1 million students have received HOPE, and more than 860,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

 

[ILuvMulan]

I think GA has very good program with the Scholarship and Pre-K funding through their lottery. NC's is not set up like that (HM is being very nice by saying that is was passed "on the sly"). At this point I am not sure anyone in NC knows where the lottery money is going, (except for whoever is getting it) but I know it's not our local schools. Sorry, this is a really touchy subject for me. Our District had to "lay-off" many teachers and Assistants this summer, many of them were not able to be re-hired. This is me getting off my soap-box.

 

[quentina]

I do not play however, I know 3 people who won the "big one".

7.1 Million
3.5 Million
650,000$$$

 

[Melct]

I buy a lotto ticket if I think of it when I am at the gas station. The most fun part for me is planning for winning and how to give it away to my friends and family. It only costs a dollar and someone has to win.

mel

 

[mafibisha]

I do not play, I don't buy into the whole "It helps our local schools" cr@p either. What helps our local schools are donations of time, money, and supplies. I volunteer.

But, it's not so much the act of playing the lottery that bothers me...its how the money that it makes is being used. If 100% went to the causes it's supposed to support...then I'd be for it. As it is, only a small percentage of the money being played even makes it into those causes (Education, in NC).

How much more efficiently would it be funded if the money didn't have to go through so many hands. In OH the lottery money for the schools didn't mean more school funds, merely redistributed funds..

That is exactly right.

Too many think its ADDITIONAL money for the schools, but it is not. It only replaces funds coming from the State, and allows the State to keep more of our tax dollars for other stuff with less going to the schools.

The schools come out even, but the tax payers LOTS poorer.