Winning the Lottery

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 9:45 am

Every Sunday morning, I fumble through my hangover to check my email to see if my six numbers have come up.
Every Sunday morning: nothing.
But this morning, I got the Lottery's annoyingly vague 'Exciting news about your ticket! Log-in to see more!' email. Now, the UK's smallest lottery win is matching three numbers out of six, for which you win a tenner. I've never won a larger amount. But still, getting that email is still pretty exciting until you see how much it's for. It was for a tenner.

I truly believe I will one day scoop the jackpot, even though I know absolutely that I never will.

I budget for that £8 million every month.

I even have plans as to how to divvy it up: our parents and siblings will get half a million each and our closest friends will get 100k each. (So you'd better start being nicer to me). After which, all my dreams will come true. I'll live somewhere warm. Maybe Hawaii. I'll spend my time on the beach being made superbuff by my professional trainer/martial arts instructor. I'll buy Coldplay simply so I can disband them. Cara will ride horses. I'll see everything and do everything.

Or I'll just report back to my work on Monday week and trudge through my grey life, doing the same thing until I'm 68 and can retire.

Do you do the lottery?

Deacon · Post by **Deacon** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 2:30 pm

I don't think I ever have. I have, however, daydreamed what I'd do with the money enough times that I probably have a pretty good idea
Of what to do with those wild $300 million powerball jackpots.

Arres · Post by **Arres** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:31 pm

Oh, the powerball. I'd take the payout, and live off the interest if it was that 300 mill variety. If you could get even 1% ROI it would be an annual income of 1.5 mil. crazy town.

ampersand · Post by **ampersand** » Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:16 am

I agree. I saw something online where if you played for every drawing, your return of investment would be something like -5% given the odds of winning anything. Playing it when the size of jackpot (and keep in mind, you're getting half of it in a lump sum situation, the other half taken away as a tax) is fairly substantial would be worth putting a few dollars into.

thejerseyminx · Post by **thejerseyminx** » Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:32 am

I play scratch offs occasionally, but things like a powerball rarely. In fact the only time I've done nightly drawing as such is when I've hit the wrong button when selling them. Figured fate wanted that ticket sold. Fate is a liar.

Post by **FirebirdNC** » Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:22 am

Playing the lottery is my current retirement plan ;P.

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:05 pm

Ha. Yes. I understand that line of thinking.

My father had a couple of newsagents while I was growing up in which I would work Saturdays. We were one of the first outlets to be given a Lottery machine in the area when the game first began. What madness gripped our nation at that point! We would have people coming in who looked as though they didn't have two pennies to rub together buying lottery tickets in their tens and twenties and scratchcard after scratchcard after scratchcard. Queueing out of the door to get their ticket. I guess there comes a point when you're so poor, that you'd might as well give it a shot.

For myself, I went through a stage of scratch card addiction. Playing and playing until I won enough to pay for the ones I'd already stolen. I managed to get away with it, but it could easily have gone the other way.

sneaky ninja · Post by **sneaky ninja** » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:07 pm

I have daydreamed and even planned how exactly I'd distribute the $50 million jackpot if I ever won, and it's all very practical and down-to-earth, because I wouldn't want to burn through my winnings and be poor ten years later. I have never bought a lotto ticket, and I doubt I ever will. So I don't know why I don't make an imaginary budget for buying a flying unicorn, or a Scottish castle, or a vacation to Mars. It's just not sensible enough.

amlthrawn · Post by **amlthrawn** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 7:11 pm

For number draws, I typically only play when there is a really huge jackpot that makes the news. But usually I don't bother

I'll put a dollar or two in the scratch-off vending machine on occasion (when I'm feeling lucky) and have a spare dollar in my pocket.

This would have made a good poll.

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:06 am

amlthrawn wrote: This would have made a good poll.

Oh no! I'm not falling for the 'Which of your feet smells worse?' stunt again. *glowerflexmusclesglower*

Muspar · Post by **Muspar** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 11:22 pm

The Mrs and I buy a Lotto Max ticket if the jackpot hits $50million, but otherwise we don't play. Not sure what we'd do with the money. Pay off student loans for sure. I already have everything I want: Wife, child, apartment, delicious food, Magic: The Gathering cards. I'd probably just convert 90% of the money into small change and wander the streets of Toronto with a backpack full of it. Homeless guy asks me for spare change, "It's your lucky day, biatch!" and shower him with $10,000 worth of quarters.

"Could Muspar even lift $10,000 in quarters? His wrists are awefully scrawny and narrow, as though he were a Magic: The Gathering playing comptuer nerd who works at a desk all day" you might ask and then state in a way that hurts my feelings. I'd be rich, you ignorant plebs! I could do whatever I want!

sneaky ninja · Post by **sneaky ninja** » Sat Apr 13, 2013 5:43 am

Muspar wrote: Homeless guy asks me for spare change, "It's your lucky day, biatch!" and shower him with $10,000 worth of quarters.

That would simultaneously make you a mysterious generous stranger and an asshole who pays in thousands of dollars worth of change

Deacon · Post by **Deacon** » Sat Apr 13, 2013 6:14 am

Coinstar would make a fortune...

amlthrawn · Post by **amlthrawn** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:11 pm

Wife bought $3 worth of scratch offs yesterday and won $11. WOOOO WHITE CASTLE RUN WOOOO

Deacon · Post by **Deacon** » Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:22 pm

All those O in "WOOOO" made me do a double-take.

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