# How many people on this forum play the...



## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

*LOTTERY?*

I haven't been as active on the forum as much as I'd like to. However, sitting at my desk at work, I realize that I play the lottery in a group pool every single week, sometimes with multiple work pools.

How many of you play the lottery?

Do you play on your own? With a pool? Both?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Never. I occasionally get scratch cards as gifts.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

I never used to play the lottery.

However, I feel like I'd never be able to forgive myself if my work colleagues won and I did not, just because I wanted to save a couple bucks. :cower:

I only participate in group pools. I never buy personal tickets.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

I buy a $1 Lottario ticket from time to time. I know it's stupid, but I enjoy it.


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

I don't play, but work pools are mandatory for the reason you mentioned.

I don't want to be the only 'survivor' in my department...


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## wendi1 (Oct 2, 2013)

Very occasionally. You are really buying a dream of what your life would be like if you won.

Buying them more often doesn't really make the outcome more likely.


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## Mechanic (Oct 29, 2013)

I occasionally buy a $10 ticket for the big jackpots. Don't do it regularly, but you never know...50 mil and my kids and families would be pretty happy, not to mention a few charitable projects I can think of.


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

I have never bought an individual lottery ticket but participate in the office pool for the same reasons others have said here.

On the flip side, I've received lottery tickets as gifts, which I think is a neat idea and may do some day if I can't figure out what to get for someone.

I'd think (or hope) I'd get some kickback if they won big!


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

We buy the 6/49, but the little we spend on tickets doesn't affect us one way or the other.......whereas a (highly unlikely) win would have a positive effect on a number of people.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

I don't,i actually would be worried if I hit it big!!I am serious.
I am not sure if I could handle it(the + 50 million jackpot)
I would like to think I would handle it well but I doubt I would(some serious changes with that type of wealth and there is a ying to the yang)
I would honestly rather win a hospital lottery(like a mil or half,something that wouldn't be so ''jarring'')
There are so many cautionary tales with big lotto's and a surprising number of the winners wished it never happened.
people prob think that's a messed up opinion(because it is the dream,but it could easily be nightmare)


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

I buy when it gets over 50 million and they have the max millions. Maybe $10/draw if I remember.
The expected payout gets closer to the ticket price as the pot increases. The odds stay the same, but the value of the win increases.


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## Causalien (Apr 4, 2009)

I do not buy. It is against my philosophy to contribute to anything that does not try to make a product that moves technology forward.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

Causalien said:


> It is against my philosophy to contribute to anything that does not try to make a product that moves technology forward.


Ha, not true 
The lottery industry employs lots of high end AI technology designed to detect fraud and cheating.
It uses heuristics and other fancy-smanzy technology.
That is how the OLG caught those corner store owners that were gaming the system for themselves and their family members.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

wendi1 said:


> Buying them more often doesn't really make the outcome more likely.


Sure it does.


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## Causalien (Apr 4, 2009)

HaroldCrump said:


> Ha, not true
> The lottery industry employs lots of high end AI technology designed to detect fraud and cheating.
> It uses heuristics and other fancy-smanzy technology.
> That is how the OLG caught those corner store owners that were gaming the system for themselves and their family members.


Heh... I was cringing because I know someone is going to do this to me. But you know the gist of the message.


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

KaeJS said:


> Sure it does.


As they used to say, waaay back when I lived in OZ, "You've gotta be in it to win it".


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Yeah, no play, no win. 

So how is playing the lottery any different from playing the markets? (In case, you're throwing tomatoes, I've ducked already). :cower: :biggrin:


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Beaver101 said:


> So how is playing the lottery any different from playing the markets?


The time spent researching the choices is a lot shorter. :chuncky:


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

The market is at least biased for positive expected return. Lotteries' expected value is usually -50% or so.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Once upon a time, we entered a draw at the CNE. We won the prize. It was 3 days free hotel in Miami Beach and many passes for events and meals. As luck would have it, we were driving to Florida for our honeymoon so we decided to stay in the Atlantis hotel. We were told that we had to attend a free breakfast in the morning to get our other gifts.

The room was a bunch of round tables with four chairs but we were seated alone at the table. A basket of various buns was at the centre. After ten minutes another person joined us at the table and after introductions, the light dimmed and we were offered an overview of Coral Gables. It was fascinating showing trees and pools and luxury homes.

After the film, many people applauded. We noticed that we had eaten all our buns but many other tables baskets were untouched.

Anyway it turned out to be a Florida swampland sales pitch. We got our coupons and left. There is a longer version that I will leave out. On the elevator, another young couple admitted that they had purchased. We asked if they were in the market for Florida property and they said no it was just a fantastic opportunity.

Now these same techniques are used by timeshare sales.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Sounds like an earlier version of the http://canadianmoneyforum.com/showthread.php/16786-Joyya-International-Contest-Scam ... I don't recall the CNE as being the place for these kind of draws ... but then I was too busy playing Whack-a-Mole or munching on the goodies in the Food Building. :distracted:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

KaeJS said:


> Sure it does.


here are the odds of winning..
Those of us who do play the lottery — and approximately one-quarter of Canadians play weekly — have heard those odds many times before. *Pay $2 and your odds of becoming a millionaire are approximately 1 in 14 million.*

Your odds are even worse for winning Lotto Max. *For $5, you buying a one in 28,633,528 chance at winning at least $15 million.*

*Those odds are so long that you are more likely to:*

Be killed in a terrorist attack while travelling (1 in 650,000).
Die — during an average lifetime — of flesh-eating disease (1 in one million).
Be killed by lightning (1 in 56,439).
*You are three times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident driving 16 kilometres to buy your ticket than winning the jackpot.*


and the odds of die from natural causes..1 in 1.....can't beat those odds .:untroubled:


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## Barwelle (Feb 23, 2011)

carverman said:


> *You are three times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident driving 16 kilometres to buy your ticket than winning the jackpot.*


So everybody who has won the lottery has cheated death :eek2::eek2:


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Once in a blue moon I buy a 649 ticket if I have spare pocket change and am feeling lucky. I probably spend about $10 a year on it.

I haven't won anything in about 20 years, so I feel very little incentive to keep playing the lottery. Same with gambling at a casino, I've never won anything so I don't feel the attraction.


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## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

I voted that the lottery is a fool's tax. However, I'm a fool about once year.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

> *Carverman*: ... and the odds of die from natural causes..1 in 1.....can't beat those odds .


 ... how about matching it with this 1-way ticket to fantasyland (or a dream come true) for some ... http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/geekquinox/75-canadians-first-cut-one-way-trip-mars-171011633.html?vp=1? Talk about being out of this world!

Despite these odds: 1 in 258,890,850, somebody still wins the obscene jackpot?! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Millions


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## Brian Weatherdon CFP (Jan 18, 2011)

0% chance of winning, 100% chance of losing it all in 1-to-3 years. What would be the point! ... However if you do happen to win the lottery you might like the tiny chapter 4 in my book (or reach me for free PDF, A Lifetime Of Wealth And How Not To Lose It). The only way to keep the money if you do win, is learning how to create a system of personal "values" (belief structure if you like) of what money means for you and what this experience can create positively in life, family, community. Cheers!


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## DayTek (Sep 26, 2013)

Hubby and I play Lottario for fun every week. $2 for two plays with Encore. We play Lotto Max on rarity when it hits a lot of Max Millions. We play the Lottario because it is a smaller prize. Like *@donald* mentioned, the idea of winning an obscene amount of money turns my stomach. We are very "middle class" people who live and enjoy the simplicity of very "middle class lives". Our lifestyle would not have to change if we didn't want it to of course, but even the temptation of "living larger" is not appealing to me. 

The idea of giving handouts either does not make me happy at all - We have 6 nieces and nephews who are watching their parents struggle with finances because of the choices they are making. What good would it do if we bailed them out by means of dumb luck? What would that teach both the adults and the kids? They are making their own way, even if it is sometimes hard. It is my belief that everyone should know the pride and satisfaction of earning their own way in life...And learn that from their parents. If we gave away none of the winnings for that reason alone, I could not stand even the possibility of jealousy and resentment that would cause among family and friends. The idea of a relationship rift over some lucky windfall is reason enough to lack any desire for a win at all.

That's why we play a lottery with a smaller prize - It starts at $250,000 and rarely exceeds over $1 million. As young people, it's a lot easier to say that we can't give any handouts because after the mortgage is paid off, there's not much left for it but to invest the rest. Maybe something fun like a short family vacation, but I believe most people would not expect more than that with a prize that size.

Maybe that seems sort of "miser-ish", but there's principle behind it.


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

Never.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... how about matching it with this 1-way ticket to fantasyland (or a dream come true) for some ... canadians-first-cut-one-way-trip-mars- Talk about being out of this world!


Ya sure. "it would be a trip of a lifetime", because even if you made the cut , it would take 9 months trapped inside a capsule with nothing but the blackness of outer space...and eating dried foods, drinking recycled urine, vacumn toilets, breathing recycled air and no laundromat to wash your clothes or even yourself. 
No doctor or hospital in case of a medical emergency. So even if you managed to make it to the red planet after 279 days and nights of sitting around in a cramped cabin, you better be well dressed
for that Martian winter when you arrive where the temperatures plunge down to -110C, dust storms rage for weeks, the Martian year is twice as long as Earth's, and you are stuck in some kind of cocoon brought in and fabricated to live in. 

Sorry, no Tim Hortons or StarBucks on Mars. No fast food..only imported dried reconstituted food. 
A Martian year is approximately two Earth years in length, meaning it takes twice as long for Mars to orbit the sun as it takes Earth. A Mars year = 687 Earth days.
Ok, the fools line up for opportunity for a 1 way trip. ..There is no escape once you get there and the atmosphere is unbreathable carbon dioxide because there won't be a space vehicle capable of bringing you
back and survive the temperatures of re-entry. 

On the plus side.(if there is any)..depending on how old you are when you get there, you may be able to "live longer" in earth years..compared to people on earth, of course, as long as you don't die sooner from:
a) boredom. b) starvation c) disease --some deadly virus d) insanity e) lack of sufficient oxygen, f) watching too many recycled movies and ...Martians attacking you


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## Jagas (Feb 11, 2013)

I participate in the office group play for whatever lottery it is they buy. Plus one 6/49 ticket for each draw on my own.
(but it is a fool's tax)
(cost vs. daydream benefit analysis came out positive for me)


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Barwelle said:


> So everybody who has won the lottery has cheated death :eek2::eek2:


Pretty much so. If you live long enough to win any lottery (especially the large prize ones) you may be even able to cheat death..for a while at least.... to spend it.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I always do the office one because you never want to be the one left when everyone else has won. 

I occasionally buy on my own when it's a really big jackpot, and I happen to know about, which is maybe onceot twice a year. I know based on the expected monetary value it makes no sense but for the few dollars for just the chance I don't mind.


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

I used to do the 6/49 subscription thing. Since they closed that, I haven't played any lotteries. The trick now, is to forget my numbers


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Plugging Along said:


> I always do the office one because you never want to be the one left when everyone else has won.


I'd heard, (going back 25 years or more), that a guy who was in Saudi on our contract returned to work, entered the pool, and the whole group was $300K wealthier......it may be extremely infrequent, but it _does_ happen.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

I have heard the lotto referred to as another tax on the poor....


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## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

Cal said:


> I have heard the lotto referred to as another tax on the poor....


I've also heard it called a tax on the stupid (I guess along the lines of a fool's tax). 

No disrespect to those who play regularly (as I said I buy the odd ticket) just a saying I've heard that is kind of amusing.


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Spidey said:


> I've also heard it called a tax on the stupid


I must admit that most of those lined up at lotto booths, clutching handfuls of tickets to be checked, don't appear to be budding 1%ers......although, juxtaposing to another thread, perhaps they are. :wink:


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

There was a poll that showed 12% of Canadians were counting on a lottery win to fund their retirement.

It does happen.

Two of my friends and work buddies won a Princess Margaret Hospital Draw. They each bought a $100 ticket and agreed to split any winnings.

They won $1.000.000 and a new Maserati. They sold the car to an exotic car rental place.

And then there is this guy...........who has won 4 lotteries.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-Melvyn-Wilson-wins-lottery-FOURTH-time.html


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## Islenska (May 4, 2011)

Usually buy ProLine weekly, betting on 3 hockey games, a $10 bet will return ~$100 depending on the odds

Makes my Hockey Night in Canada more spicey!


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

The Pro-Line used to have better odds, that made it easier to win.

I had a system where I "wheeled" some dead on favorites to win, with a mixture of ties and underdogs.

I only needed a few of the large amount of tickets I bought......to win and earn a profit.

But, Pro-Line tightened the odds, and I tired of standing in line at the store buying a hundred different tickets, and then having to wait for the winnings on the ones that paid off.

And that was the end of that.

Remember the guys who were sitting in a soccer club watching a European game........when one of them realized the game was over before the cut off time for Pro-Line tickets, due to time zone differences.

Knowing the results of the games, they all rushed out.........got hold of all the cash they could..........and bought tickets.

They won a big pile of money...........and Pro-Line paid off but changed the times the tickets had to be purchased by.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

A while ago, there was a guy from the US on the LOLX who had written a book about increasing your chances of winning lotteries.
He was a professional lottery player, and had a pretty good win record.
He had not won any large mega jackpot, but lots and lots of smaller one (in the 6 figure ranges).

It was about how to pick numbers, how to pick which type of lotteries to play, when to play, etc.

I don't recall the name of the guest or the name of the book, but it should be easy to find via a Google search, if anyone is interested.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

A little different, but there was a story about a couple who lived in Las Vegas.

They were retired and spent their days playing in all the "slot tournaments" in different casinos for a small entry fee cost.

They won all kinds of cash and prizes.......and built up player points for dinners etc.

That is more shrewdly taking advantage of casino marketing..........than luck though.


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## mrPPincer (Nov 21, 2011)

I voted - I buy personal tickets. 

If the 4rth question was - The lottery is a voluntary tax - I would have voted that.

A ticket to the 649 was worth 2 bucks to me when the pot was over 28 mil.
Now that they've raised the ticket price to $3 and added a guaranteed 1M for every draw I might buy a ticket on a 35M pot but I don't see that too often.

being as it's a gov't program & all I have no problem at all seeing it as voluntary taxes


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## NorthKC (Apr 1, 2013)

At my previous employer, I participated in the group play because I didn't want to be the only "survivor". We almost won the jackpot though. We were one number away!

Now at my current company, we don't have group play and haven't bought any tickets. I generally buy the Lotto Max when it hits the $50+ plus the $1M prizes. Only $3 every couple of months or so.

I receive gift packs a lot and tend to win a lot, usually about $20 or so.


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## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

I play occasionally, buy maybe two tickets a month. I don't drink, smoke, or buy coffee so I think of it as a little indulgence that may pay off.

I was talking about this at Xmas with my family- (one of my relatives hit a ten million jackpot a few years ago) - the best way to get the most favourable odds would be to calculate the total you would spend in your life (assuming average lifespan), and spend it all on tickets for one draw. Because it is completely random number generation, every combination has an equal chance of coming up every draw; therefore you would be best served by massively increasing your odds one time. 

But of course nobody would do this- you'd spend that $30,000 or whatever and if you didn't win or break even you'd STILL keep trying to make up your losses.


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## buaya (Jan 7, 2011)

A long time ago, when I was working in a factory, we did a group buy. This was before 6/49 etc. They were the $10/ticket to help pay for the Olympics or something. 10 of us were in the group. Everyone had a buy 1 ticket and put it into the pot. We did this for about 6 months. One day, on the day before the draw, one chap did not buy a ticket and when pestered. he said, in front of everyone in the lunch room, - I am out.
Would you believe it, we won $100,000 on that draw. Dividing that by 9 gives us 11,111.11. The chap whose ticket won, we gave him that extra 1 cent. I was one of 2 who went to the Lottery Corporation to collect as I was on the afternoon shift and was able to go.
I usually spend about $10 a week on tickets. I do keep track and for the past 30+ years, I am ahead. Recently (3 years ago) I went back to the Far East to bury my Mom who died at 92 years young. There we have the equivalent of the Pick 4. The main difference is the prize money is fixed. For every dollar bet, you can win anything from $125 to $3,000. I managed to pick 4 numbers and won $60,000.
So, yes, I do spend money on the Lottery.


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## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

Wife is in the work pool and that is enough for me. Other then that it is the occasional scratch and lose and gifts.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Remember the Irish Sweepstakes anyone?

When I was a kid, my parents talked of a "cousin" who won the Irish Sweepstakes. I seem to remember something about $30,000 which was a lot of money back then. I also remember from the time, that it was a pretty "hushed up" winning, as someone in Ireland had to buy the ticket and mail it over or something like that. I didn't actually know the person, but remember my parents talking about him living with his mom his whole life and never having a job.

It was all a great family mystery at the time, often talked about by the adults.

Interesting video of Irish Sweepstakes winners from a 1936 news reel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mf9GWzdcyQ


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Gosh when you think about it.........how much money is spent buying scratch lottery tickets..........to fill Christmas stockings every year?

That would make a lot of adults..........."gamblers".


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

I used to play 6/49 every week for years. No longer.


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

One of the things that made me quit playing lotteries is all the crime that went down with the OLG and lottery retailers. You could win the jackpot and still lose. 

You can tell yourself "yeah, but they fixed all that"... but really they just fixed the 1990's style thieving. You don't know what scam is going on until it's uncovered.


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## sharbit (Apr 26, 2012)

Mostly just work pools. When the lotto max gets to 100M I buy a 25$ ticket - the EV at that point is like 0.71-0.79 for every dollar.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

hystat said:


> One of the things that made me quit playing lotteries is all the crime that went down with the OLG and lottery retailers. You could win the jackpot and still lose.


Yeah. How about that disproportionate number of store employees / kiosk operators who are winning the lottery... that tells the whole story


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

james4beach said:


> Yeah. How about that disproportionate number of store employees / kiosk operators who are winning the lottery... that tells the whole story


Wasn't that pretty much attributed to cases of storekeepers ripping off customers' winning tickets by telling them they lost?


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

Nemo2 said:


> Wasn't that pretty much attributed to cases of storekeepers ripping off customers' winning tickets by telling them they lost?


 yes, and you didn't hear a thing about it for the decade or two that it went on, with OLG sweeping it under the rug until the Fifth Estate did the story on Bob Edmonds, who basically caught the retailer in the act of stealing his millions. 

So that's fixed now.... but what aren't we hearing about now?


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

hystat said:


> but what aren't we hearing about now?


I have friends in Idaho, a retired married couple, both ex-cops from different jurisdictions in California, who met (a fair number of years ago) when they were both assigned to monitor the state lottery.......said people, (who by the nature of the attempted scam would have to be 'insiders'), had tried such things as spraying clear silicone spray (or somesuch) on some of the balls in order to make them that slight bit heavier, with the possibility they'd fall into the slots...(after buying tickets, of course).

Nowadays the technology for observance is undoubtedly far more sophisticated, but so, no doubt, are the crooks.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

Indirectly, via wife in a pool at her workplace. we split fuind her share. The only reason is that it would burn her *** so bad if she was the last one there after all of her wanker co-workers won the lottery.

Hearing the stories of how they (mis) manage their finances, i think a lot would be back working along side her in a few years unless it was a major win. 

I view it as in indirect tax. I wiggle out of tax (legally, or at least defer) with full RRSP, tfsa, resp, and deiviends in my non-registered accounts. So why not toss a bit of cash periodically onto the gov't slush fund called lottery retained earnings


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I never buy those peel back tickets (cherries, bars etc) since I discovered how easy it was for retailers to rip off customers.

I was selling them for the United Way, and there was a set amount of cash for the charity when the box was completely sold out.

I learned at a UW meeting that a local variety store was selling a large number of boxes of the tickets.......too many for his location, I thought.

The ripoff was simple mathematics.

When the money taken in from the tickets is less than the money to be turned over to the charity...........there are more losers in the box than winners.

When the money taken in from the tickets is more than the money to be turned over to the charity.............there are more winners in the box than losers.

When the retailer gathered more in ticket money, than he had to hand over to the UW......he simply dumped the remaining tickets, opened a new box, paid the UW what he owed and kept the cash difference from the old box of tickets.

Rinse and repeat.


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## Nuke (Dec 10, 2013)

Have never purchased lottery tickets. I did participate at work a number of years back with the team for a few years. Odds are highly against the player, at least hopefully with all the players, the lottery reduces the overall taxes we pay


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## Sasquatch (Jan 28, 2012)

carverman said:


> here are the odds of winning..
> Those of us who do play the lottery — and approximately one-quarter of Canadians play weekly — have heard those odds many times before. *Pay $2 and your odds of becoming a millionaire are approximately 1 in 14 million.*
> 
> Your odds are even worse for winning Lotto Max. *For $5, you buying a one in 28,633,528 chance at winning at least $15 million.*
> ...


That's exactly what I try to tell my wife . Her answer.... if you don't buy a ticket, your chances are one to infinity :-O I've stopped arguing with her !!


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## emperor (Jul 24, 2011)

I buy hospital home lottery tickets. I have a chance to win and if not I contributed to something useful. It is expensive though 100-500 for tickets


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## Karen (Jul 24, 2010)

I don't buy the weekly or bi-weekly tickets, but I do buy the $100 hospital lottery tickets several times a year. I've won a few small prizes that I didn't want or need (a suitcase, a backpack,, an earthquake kit, e.g.) all of which I gave away, except for the earthquake kit, but a few years ago I won a trip for four to Disneyland or $3600. I took the cash!


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Same here, bought hospital lottery tickets 3 for $250 for 5 consecutive years at one point but didn't win anything ... oh well.

An earthquake kit? That's interesting. Would assume it contains the usual first-aid/emergency items but what distinguishes it as an emergency kit for an "earthquake" (other than the labelling)?


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

emperor said:


> I buy hospital home lottery tickets. I have a chance to win and if not I contributed to something useful. It is expensive though 100-500 for tickets


There was a recent report on TV about the charity lottaries. Most of the money received goes to paying out the prizes. In fact, quite a few ended up as a loss to the charity.
Found it: http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/mega-lotteries-fun-to-play-but-how-much-do-charities-really-benefit-1.1545553


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## Karen (Jul 24, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ...An earthquake kit? That's interesting. Would assume it contains the usual first-aid/emergency items but what distinguishes it as an emergency kit for an "earthquake" (other than the labelling)?


I was curious to see what was in it too! It's a backpack containing some very useful things as well as some rather strange ones. Some examples: a wind-up flashlight, a windup radio, one of those multi-use tools similar to a Leatherman, a single-serving vacuum pouch of purified drinking water, several hand-warmers, a package containing a few candles and a waterproof container of matches, a basic first-aid kit, a plastic whistle on a cord, a head lamp, a length of rope, several light sticks, an emergency poncho, a roll of "caution" tape such as the police use at an accident scene, a sign to put in your car window that says "Call Police," and a few other things that I don't recognize and don't have the slightest idea of what they're for! The biggest surprises to me was that there is only the single serving of drinking water and that there is absolutely nothing in the way of food.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

wouldn't the risk in an earthquake be that one would be buried? 

so one would need water, flashlight, water, cell phone, water, police or referee whistle plus equally loud backup whistle, water, everything packed in a strong steel frame to go over one's head & permit breathing space

never mind a toy plastic whistle, loud properly functioning whistles are made of steel ... as for caution tape or poncho under the debris ??


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Guess this kit is good for being a "survivor" of an earthquake where everyone is else is buried around you. Out of curiosity, I googled for an "earthquake" kit and they actually sell them at http://www.quakekare.com/earthquake-kit-p-113.html of which is no where near as good as Karen's kit. They even have "terrorism" kits??? 

^^ Re Karen's kit with only 1 serving of water and no food, that's a shortchanged kit. I'm guessing that because it doesn't include a portable toilet as this Cadillac kit does http://www.quakekare.com/2-person-deluxe-survival-kit-p-12.html, thus, they have to reduce the water and cut out the food. 

I wonder how these emergency kits-producing "experts" come up with composition for these kits. :confused2:


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Beaver101 said:


> They even have "terrorism" kits???


An AK-47, an exploding vest, and a Quran? :rolleyes2:


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

No idea, did not dare to peek there ... seriously these kits are a joke (never mind about the cost).


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

Beaver101 said:


> ^ Guess this kit is good for being a "survivor" of an earthquake where everyone is else is buried around you.



no shovel for digging out your buried brothers & sisters?

just put up your yellow Caution tape & stick the poster Call Police in some nearby car window & leave the scene?


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Shovels would be useless to dig rubbles in an earthquake ... would need a bulldozer to do that. Our mayor (if he/she is still alive) would have to call in the Canadian Armed Force to help so caution tape, police posters, et al would also be useless. :biggrin: 

Mind you, we're not talking about a roadside accident here. Even that kind of emergency would require professional help eg. firefighters, police offers, CAA toll-trucks, etc. Any survivors/victims involved in a major accident or catastrophe (god forbid) would be too "dazed" to go anywhere, let alone thinking about taking flight from a scene or starting digging or corralling the area with yellow caution tape.


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## Karen (Jul 24, 2010)

I told you that some of the contents were rather strange! I don't think I'd have bought this particular kit, but since I won it, I thought I might as well keep it. I suppose we're supposed to assemble our own emergency supply of canned foods, but I still think it's strange that there's only one pouch of water - only enough for one small drink.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Who knows what the kit's assembler was thinking at that time? Yeah, to have only "one serving pouch of water" is rather strange/frugal ... maybe the water is special? No expiry date or good til the end of time? Does the pouch packaging give any indication?


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## Karen (Jul 24, 2010)

No, the only printing on the pouch says "Purified Drinking Water." There's no expiry date.


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...ely-you-are-to-vote-conservative-9112952.html



> “The amount won in the lottery is completely randomised, but we saw that the more you won, the more right-leaning you become.”
> 
> According to the professor, the author of a book called The Happiness Equation, this pointed to winners favouring right-wing ideas such as lower taxation and less redistributive policy ideas.


"Redistribute money, but not MY money"...........ties in nicely with Maggie Thatcher's "The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

Lotteries in general are not a good buy from a gambling point of view. The problem is only about 50% of the money collected is distributed in prizes. The exception is games with rolling jackpots. For example, with this week's Lotto Max draw, 50% of the money collected is added to the prizes plus 100% of the money that was not won in previous draws is also added. This makes it a much better buy.

But here is the catch 22. Even though Lotto Max is a better buy this week, there is the important economic principle of diminishing returns. That is, the more you have of something, the less it is worth. This principle applies to the Lotto Max jackpot; to the average person, $50 million is not 5 times more valuable than $10 million.

So the best way to take advantage of the extra prize money and counteract the principle of diminishing returns, is to play Lotto Max when the jackpot reaches $50 million but only play as a member of a group.

My vote in this poll is I only buy tickets in group pools.

Good luck.


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

Not too many people voted they play in a lotto group. For the few that did, you may be interested to know I am organizing a big group play for the upcoming Lotto Max draw. The jackpot is $50 million plus an extra $10 million in Maxmillions.

All members get a copy of the tickets before the draw. There a number of easy payment options. Send a message or post here if interested. So far we have $1,020 to spend on tickets.

Good luck.


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## Sasquatch (Jan 28, 2012)

It just came to me........... !!!

Here's a sure fire method to win a big jackpot.

Get a whole bunch together with enough money in the pot to buy every possible number combination and " BINGO " ..... WE WON 

Then again, my math might have some slight flaws ;-)


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

Sasquatch said:


> It just came to me........... !!!
> 
> Here's a sure fire method to win a big jackpot.
> 
> ...


Using that method would certainly guarantee winning the jackpot. But for the vast majority of draws, you would end up with less money than when you started. This is either because the jackpot was not large enough to cover your cost of buying all the tickets or, if the jackpot is large enough, then sales would be high enough to probably have multiple winners of the jackpot.

Every once in a while, there is an opportunity where buying every ticket will almost guarantee a profit. This currently exists with the Ohio Classic Lotto game. If you had the opportunity and means to buy every ticket, there is a 99% probability of holding the only winning ticket and netting at least $6 million in profit.

Good luck.


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

^ I do believe that Sasquatch was being facetious. :wink:


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

Nemo2 said:


> ^ I do believe that Sasquatch was being facetious. :wink:


Yes, I know. But I find it interesting there are situations where buying all the tickets can be very profitable.

It is also feasible. Get computer printed selection slips and a program to ensure every combination is played. Then get enough people willing to participate with the offer of sharing in the profits. It is not easy, but feasible.


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Mario38 said:


> Yes, I know. But I find it interesting there are situations where buying all the tickets can be very profitable.
> 
> It is also feasible. Get computer printed selection slips and a program to ensure every combination is played. Then get enough people willing to participate with the offer of sharing in the profits. It is not easy, but feasible.


Are you considering the fact that a large portion of the money collected in ticket sales is directed towards profit/expenses? 

I couldn't (without spending time) find out what Ontario takes, but here's Massachusetts:



> What happens to the revenue the Lottery generates from sales?
> *A minimum of 45% of revenues stays in the State Lottery Fund to be paid out in prizes.* The Lottery's current prize percentage is over 69%.
> A portion of revenues is transferred to the commonwealth’s General Fund for the expenses incurred in administering and operating the Lottery. The administrative and operating expenses of the Lottery are appropriated by the legislature as part of the annual state budget. Operating expenses cannot exceed 15%. Currently, operating expenses are under 8%. These operating expenses include 5.8% in commissions and bonuses paid to the sales agents who sell the tickets and under 2% in administrative expenses due to Lottery operation.
> After prizes and expenses, the remaining Lottery revenues (approximately 23%) are transferred to the Local Aid Fund and returned to the cities and towns of the Commonwealth in the form of local aid.


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

Nemo2 said:


> Are you considering the fact that a large portion of the money collected in ticket sales is directed towards profit/expenses?
> 
> I couldn't (without spending time) find out what Ontario takes, but here's Massachusetts:


Yes, I have taken it all into consideration. Most lotteries in North America pay out between 45% and 50% in prizes. What can make a certain draw profitable is if the jackpot has rolled for several draws and sales are low enough to make it likely there will be only one winning ticket.

Sales for the Ohio Classic Lotto are so low, there is only a 1% chance on any given draw the jackpot will be won. So if one holds the winning ticket, there is a 99% chance there are no other winners of the jackpot.

Good luck.


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## Sasquatch (Jan 28, 2012)

Mario38 said:


> Yes, I have taken it all into consideration. Most lotteries in North America pay out between 45% and 50% in prizes. What can make a certain draw profitable is if the jackpot has rolled for several draws and sales are low enough to make it likely there will be only one winning ticket.
> 
> Sales for the Ohio Classic Lotto are so low, there is only a 1% chance on any given draw the jackpot will be won. So if one holds the winning ticket, there is a 99% chance there are no other winners of the jackpot.
> 
> ...


What about that PESKY 1 % though .......... that's the killer LOL


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

We have another huge group play planned for the upcoming $80 million Lotto Max draw on March 7. If there is no office pool where you work, you may want to consider joining ours. We expect to buy close to $2,000 in tickets. Send me a message if you want the details on how to join.

Good luck


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## travelgeek (Nov 29, 2009)

Getting back to the original question, I do not play it on an individual basis. I participate in the office pool for many of the reasons already mentioned..... I don't want to be the only one left after everyone has quit or retired.


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

We are up to 530 Lotto Max tickets for tonight's draw giving odds of 1 in 1,801 of winning one of the $1 million Maxmillions.

Good luck.


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## Ag Driver (Dec 13, 2012)

I have never purchased a lotto ticket in my life, aside from charity lottery tickets. I consider it as good as throwing money away, so if I'm going to throw it away, I will throw it at a charity.


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

Ag Driver said:


> I have never purchased a lotto ticket in my life, aside from charity lottery tickets. I consider it as good as throwing money away, so if I'm going to throw it away, I will throw it at a charity.


If helping out a charity is your motivation, you are far better off giving them the money directly. At least you get a tax receipt. Donating money via a lottery is a poor alternative since so much of the money is spent on overhead.

If winning money is your motivation, then buying charity lottery tickets is not a good idea. Those charity lotteries have fairly poor payouts compared to the government run lotteries with rolling jackpots. Plus, most charity lotteries give out merchandise prizes rather than money. It is hard enough to win a lottery and then you have to beat the odds again and hopefully win merchandise you really want. I find the worst to be the house lotteries. The advertised value of the houses tend to be highly inflated over the market value.

Nonetheless, whatever you buy, good luck.


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## newtothegame (Jan 2, 2014)

I buy a ticket when the prizes are high. I consider it a cost of "doing business" in life... Much like the Tim Horton's coffee... I don't really need them, and can make it for cheaper at home. However, I _want_ it... And I am in a position to spend five bucks a week on a lotto ticket. No harm, no foul...


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

Four Pillars said:


> KaeJS said:
> 
> 
> > I never used to play the lottery.
> ...


 ... I used to skip the work pool until I noticed the key players ... after that I joined and keep on eye on who is it it.
Not because I'm worried about looking foolish or missing out ... but because of the hassles I can see should the key players move on.

I do buy a personal ticket once in a while when the prizes are big enough ... but that's rare (a busy year is twice a year).


Cheers


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## Mario38 (Feb 11, 2014)

If you have ever considered joining a Lotto Max pool, this is probably your best opportunity.

At $100 million, the Lotto Max jackpot is at the highest it has ever reached. I suspect it will never surpass 50 Maxmillions since several of the Maxmillions are expected to be won in the next draw.

The cost to join Group M7 is $20 per share and we are already up to 78 shares and $1,560. This group is expected to be the largest ever Lotto Max group to date by draw time.

To take best advantage of this opportunity, I plan to spend part of the expected winnings from the draw on tickets for the March 14 draw.

Send a message if you are interested in joining.

Good luck.


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