^ This. Lotteries are a horrible waste of money.Originally Posted by whatthefunk
HAGGIS!
^ This. Lotteries are a horrible waste of money.
Ubuntu addict and loving it
simple, you don't need to use any maths.
There lotteries are run by companies to make money. Each week people pay more money on tickets than the lottery pays out in prizes. Nothing of any value is being produced (its a zero sum game), so if someone (the lottery) is making money, everyone else must be loosing money (the players). She is paying $40 per week so that some rich lottery owner can buy overpriced cocktails on a beach somewhere.
it that wont stop her, then make sure she buys the tickets on the day of the draw. if you buy them a day in advance then you are more likely to be run over than to win (based on UK odds, but probably similar for canada).
νόησις νοήσεως - nóesis noéseos
Umm...
actually, buying more tickets -- assuming they are unique and not duplicates does increase your chances of winning.
if you have a 1 in 1,000,000 chance with one ticket you would have a 2 in 1,000,000 chance with 2... etc...
so in the case of 40 tickets the OP is discussing the odds would be 40 in 12,800,00.
So with 1 ticket you have a .0000078 % chance of wining, but with 40 tickets you have a .0003125% chance of winning.
νόησις νοήσεως - nóesis noéseos
No,... that is not true in most lottery games that pick 6 numbers from a pool.
Yes, if it is a set of tickets and one winner is chosen from the potential pool.
Staff Emeritus
Perhaps the rules of the lottery should be explained so that we are all talking about the same thing and my comments are accurate. In the case of Canada's Lotto 649, you get to choose 6 numbers out of 1-49. To win the grand prize, you must get all 6 numbers correct. There are smaller prizes for other combinations (i.e. 5 numbers, 4 numbers, etc. with the odds of winning adjusted accordingly). There are no guaranteed winners and the same set of numbers can potentially be choosen by multiple entrants (in which case the prize money is split equally).
In this case, I disagree. Each ticket has the same odds. You are mearly playing the game twice. Your odds that any one ticket is the winning ticket are exactly the same. Having two tickets does not change the odds for any of the tickets.
Chocolate-Covered Ubuntu Beans
I had figured it wrong and when you put in on paper, I see my error.
1. I should have mentioned in the OP, that each set of numbers she plays are different when she plays. I thought that would be obvious, but maybe not.
2. You missed a 0 in your copying of my 12,800,000, so the figures are:
3. With 1 ticket you have a .000000078 % chance of winning, which of course is a 1 in 12,800,000 odds to win.
4. With 40 tickets you have a .000003125% chance of winning, which by the way comes to a 1 in 320,000 odds to win, as Copper Bezel said in post # 13.
Thanks, for the math lesson and advice everyone.
Last edited by mikodo; June 21st, 2013 at 08:00 AM.
Tea Glorious Tea!
On the other hand, I figure I have won a dollar a week on the lottery here - I don't play. That adds up to a heck of a lot over time, you know. Don't know if that helps your problem, but can she tell you how much she has won over time? P.S. (added): On the other hand perhaps your should start playing by not playing. How long would it take your 'winnings' to exceed hers? If her lack of winnings cost her an evening out or something that you could otherwise have afforded . . . .
Last edited by agillator; June 21st, 2013 at 08:22 AM.
Chocolate-Covered Ubuntu Beans
That's a good point agillator. One that is lost on her though.
P.S. to respond to yours: As someone else pointed out, she continues to hope to win against nearly all hope.
;p
Last edited by mikodo; June 21st, 2013 at 08:31 AM.
Tea Glorious Tea!
Mikodo, you started me thinking and that is really dangerous! First, is it really worth arguing about? You do things that irritate her, you know. On the other hand, perhaps you should stop bugging her about it, it probably just makes her set her feet more firmly on that path. Try another approach, sort of what I alluded to earlier. Let her know (if you can afford it, of course) that you are going to start playing the lottery, too. As I suggested earlier, play by not playing, but keep track of it. 'Play' the same amount she does every week. Then every week openly and clearly take your 'winnings' and do something you want to do, like a night out with the boys, a couple of pool games, whatever. If it is something she doesn't care for, what can she say? It is your lottery winnings. And this means it is costing her, too. Of course if she ever wins you may be in big trouble. But seriously, if you can find any child psychology books by Dreikers, especially 'Children, the Challenge', it might help you. His approach works on adults also. WARNING: It works on husbands AND wives! The book is long out of print but I think is still available if you look for it. DISCLAIMER: Not responsible for results: good, bad or indifferent. I have no objection to gambling as long as it is with recreation money or gambling winnings only. I do believe, however, that lotteries are nothing more than legalized theft.
Chocolate-Covered Ubuntu Beans
@ agillator
I worked 16 hours today, and have been up for 21. I'll read your suggestions tomorrow or soon. Right now, all I want to do is go to bed. I would pretty much dismiss doing anything else right now. That is not fair to do with your well written suggestion(s), without more reflection. I will consider it later.
Thanks.
;p
Posting Permissions
Adv Reply
Bookmarks