I have to, right? It’s my birthday, and even more importantly, it’s my 50th birthday, and it’s my day off, and the jackpot of the Ohio Lottery is the highest ever, and I’m nearly broke except for the few dollars I found in my jacket pocket. So karma decrees that I must win tonight, right? Because it just wouldn’t be right for someone else to win it on my birthday, now would it? And I really didn’t even know it was such a big jackpot until I saw the paper today, so prepare to help me spend it! I might just pay the SDMB subscription fee for all the charter members if I win!
I bought one ticket already, and I’ll buy one more someplace else, and then maybe a third at a third location, just to improve my chances. That’ll work, right?
Instead I put the money into a savings account. 100% chance of keeping the capital.
And the interest is like winning a small lottery prize. Every month.
Eh…sure if you play the lottery twice a week every week and buy $5 worth of ticketts putting the money in a savings account would be a better option. However I susupect that most people only buy sporadically, so that amount wouldn’t add up nearly as fast, or provide as much fantasy-enjoyment.
And good luck kittenblue …look at it this way, your odds are 50/50.
Oh, yes. You’re odds just improved from 1:175,711,536 to 3:175,711,536. Definitely better odds. But still a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, long shot. Really. That includes factoring in the “birthday magic”.
For some odd reason, I felt compelled to by a Powerball ticket today.
While my winnings will be a paltry $120 million, compared to your mighty prize, I am content with my (roughly) $70 million after taxes. Somehow, I’ll make it work.
I just saw on Google News that MegaMillions is at a record amount, and it turns out that I’m in a MegaMillions state so I’m throwing caution to the wind and buying a $5 ticket. Wheee!
I think that I’m gonna win because - well, I would *never *trade health for wealth, but since I haven’t had health in a long time, well the universe owes me some wealth dammit!
I don’t think that I’ve ever bought a lottery ticket on my own before (my ex-wife would occasionally buy them and I’ve entered work pools) but I did this time. I was out with a friend and she convinced me to buy a $5 Quick Pick. Until she told me about it, I didn’t even know that California was part of a multi-state lottery deal. My friend will get $1 million if I win and the rest is to be determined.
Okay, I now have two tickets! I’ll buy one more when my daughter arrives to take me to Macaroni Grill for dinner, and this time I will pick my own numbers. Since dinner is my only gift this year (so far…my boss says she has something for me tomorrow) and she’s not paying for dinner, but using a gift card someone else gave her, that increases my odds, right? Oh. wait, Lillith Fair gave me a ball of yarn…ah, but that cancels out my mom not even giving me a card from her stash of generic cards, so I’m back on the winning karma curve!
The last time I played a regular lottery was the huge Powerball one last year. I was in Nebraska visiting my sister, and bought three tickets…but then we went to the casino with $20 apiece, and I walked out with $25, so that wiped out the lottery luck then. I can’t see pending more than $5 max on any lottery try. To spend more is just foolish. Now, to pick some auspicious numbers…
