Anyone still do the lottery?

Sassafras

I've been using my same 'lucky numbers' for the last 23 years and haven't won a penny. People ask me why I don't try different numbers, I just think that's ridiculous, they wouldn't be lucky numbers then and I wouldn't stand a chance of winning.

midlifecrisis

i think people who do the same numbers are scared to stop fearing the week they stop their numbers will come up. i think its better to do random ones

AvalonAndy

.

AlexC

Here's my plan - I'm putting forward the number 12. I'm giving you that. Anyone wins with a ticket that's used 12 on it I'll split it with you!

cacophony

i did it when it first started. then one day i listened to simon mayo on the radio one day. he had a professor of statistics (what's the chances of meeting one of those, lol) who explained the lottery thus:
imagine you are blindfolded and wore earphones. you can't see or hear anything. you are put on a train, and taken for a ride, you could be anywhere, scotland ,west country, wales, the train could have doubled back and you could be 5 miles from home, literally anywhere.. you are taken still blinded and deaf, to the nearest shopping street. the blind and phones are removed, and you have to correctly guess the landline telephone number of the first person you meet, including the dialling code.


i never bought another ticket from that day to this.

axisus

cacophony said:

i did it when it first started. then one day i listened to simon mayo on the radio one day. he had a professor of statistics (what's the chances of meeting one of those, lol) who explained the lottery thus:
imagine you are blindfolded and wore earphones. you can't see or hear anything. you are put on a train, and taken for a ride, you could be anywhere, scotland ,west country, wales, the train could have doubled back and you could be 5 miles from home, literally anywhere.. you are taken still blinded and deaf, to the nearest shopping street. the blind and phones are removed, and you have to correctly guess the landline telephone number of the first person you meet, including the dialling code.


i never bought another ticket from that day to this.

Ha ha I like that!

Sassafras

First person I saw was a rozzer so it was easy, 999.

Chalky

adamm82 said:

axisus said:

I used to do it about twice a year, but the double whammy of doubling the cost (outrageous!) and switching win odds from 15 million to one to 45 million to one killed it stone dead in the water for me. Not done it since.

My gambling preference is Premium bonds. Not really a gamble as you can get your money back any time. I upped my stake up to quite a few grand about 17 months ago. Seven £25 wins thus far, still hoping for a big one ....

The lottery needs more reward, Since they change it it's really not worth while (of course unless you win) 

They should have higher small prize wins. You win more playing an online slot machine than buying a lotto ticket. 

The legal obligation of the lottery is raise the maximum money for good causes.

Lower value prizes = fewer tickets sold and less money raised raised for good causes. This is a proven fact since the lottery started.

"They should increase the number of prizes of lower value then more people would play". This is a proven fallacy since the lottery started.

So to meet the legal obligation they have to maximise ticket sales, and to do that they have to maximise the prize value rather than number of prizes.  A triple rollover will sell far more tickets than in a normal week.

thomasross20

Nah, never used to to do it much but since the price hike I thought it was mental.

midlifecrisis

the lottery works on the principle that no matter how long the odds, usually someone wins it, and we all like to dream it could be us

BigBearKris

midlifecrisis said:

the lottery works on the principle that no matter how long the odds, usually someone wins it, and we all like to dream it could be us

This.

I don't really expect to win, but I can afford to set my direct debit for few tickets per month. I would probably spend it on beer or takeaway after night out which I don't consider any healthier for me anyway. 

skunkwerx

Nope. 

Still haven't bloody won.