Lord Jim...Here are the winning MEGA LOTTO numbers...

[dales]

Sorry I was late.

The numbers in tonight's multistate Mega Millions draw are 4, 8, 15, 25, 47 and the Mega number is 42.

The Mega Millions game is played in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

California Lottery officials reminded the public that borrowing money to play the lottery, spending above a person's budget or using money intended for other purposes can ultimately lead to significant problems for players and their families...........yeah, right.....I wonder how many people pissed away their rent/food money on this scheme.


People with gambling problems or knowing individuals with gambling problems are advised to call the Problem Gambling Help Line, 1-800-Gambler.

To see the latest winning lottery numbers, go to http://www.dailynews.com/lottery.

The lottery is a tax on the stupid.

[Rick]

The lottery is a tax on the stupid.

I concur...

[The Hen]

Ho w much does it cost to enter the Lottery?

[Gob]

The lottery, like any gamble, is not a "tax on the stupid," but a calculated risk.

I believe that me and Hen can afford the $10 a week I spend on it, and as it's my only gambling, I feel that is a minimal risk.

I won $40 last week.

[kristina]

yeah, but how many ten dollarses (?) did it take to win forty?!

FWIW, the late Spousal Unit and I went to the local sushi bar/pool hall/neighborhood hangout every Wednesday. He'd have a scotch, I'd have a martini (or two), and we'd buy a five dollar QuickPick. We called it our weekly retirement planning meeting...

[Long Run]

The lottery, like any gamble, is not a "tax on the stupid," but a calculated risk.

Or when you are talking just a few bucks that you can afford, it is a bit of fun and fantasy, and the dollars go to support necessary services (supposedly). While it is almost a certain "waste" of money it is no more a waste than any other activity that provides a brief divergence from every day life. The real concern is with problem gamblers and the impact lotteries can have on them; it is not the best of situations when the government is in the business of promoting this addiction. The other concern is whether a government should be involved in this type of activity at all on moral grounds and on the basis that it is a variable source of revenue (and such variance can imperil programs that come to rely on the funding).

[Gob]

My only problem was the blanket "tax on stupidity" assertion, which is like saying anyone who drinks alcohol is an alcoholic...

[Long Run]

My only problem was the blanket "tax on stupidity" assertion, which is like saying anyone who drinks alcohol is an alcoholic...

I was saying "I agree" but using a lot more words.

[Gob]

yep, I realised that, I should have qualified it better.

[rubato]

Whether the lottery is a 'tax on the stupid' or not depends on who you are and how much money you are betting.

If the amount you are spending on lottery tickets is small enough vs your personal economic situation that if you took that amount and set fire to it it would not have any measureable effect on your finances (for a year) then it is harmless entertainment. If the money spent on lottery tickets (over the course of a year) means not having the cash for something important then it is a vice. $2 week x 52 weeks a year = $104 Does that matter?

If you're making minimum wage then it's a tax on the stupid. If you're making 2x minimum wage it is a tax on the foolish.

Moral arguments about whether you have an obligation to direct your resources to their highest and best use are not being addressed here. One might argue that diverting even $2/week that you would otherwise have sent to a medical clinic in Africa is not moral because a child can be delivered safely for $26 there. But I am not considering that here.

yrs,
rubato

[The Hen]

From the remark Dales left in red in the OP "yeah, right.....I wonder how many people pissed away their rent/food money on this scheme" it made me think that it was a substantial amount to enter.

[Sean]

Tickets are $1 per line according to the website...

[loCAtek]

And the Lottery is what's supporting what's left of many a state's economy;

[oldr_n_wsr]

I rarely play any lotto. Years ago I used to play $1 when the state jackpot got over $20million (never if it was less). Now with these multi state lotto's, I don't play at all even if the jackpot is $+200million. But stupid me spends $10 a day on a pack of cigarettes. So who is the stupid one being taxed?

[oldr_n_wsr]

And when lotto was first proposed to NY, "ALL" the profits were supposed to go to support of the state education system. The state takes in much more than what they dole out to the schools. Another lie.

[dales]

From the remark Dales left in red in the OP "yeah, right.....I wonder how many people pissed away their rent/food money on this scheme" it made me think that it was a substantial amount to enter.

Yeah, I should've qualified my statement.

It's only a dollar, no biggie.