Would the lottery be considered a scam?

Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket, looked up the winning numbers and lost? I am sure many people have but what i have noticed about the winning numbers on all the lottery games is that almost all of them are in some type of order. The numbers are either from lowest to highest, highest to lowest or something in that area. Also, usually the last number is lower then the number befor it. I usually play the mega millions lottery and i have came very close many times to winning but it is because i have found patterns in the numbers. In the mega millions lottery almost all of the games the numbers are from lowest to highest and the mega ball is lower then the number befor it. Also what the last number is depends on what the previous numbers are. Recently i purchased a ticket and i did not hit a single number but on my ticket it matched the winning numbers in the same area. For an example-winning numbers 2, 7, 25, 36, 46, mega ball-23. My numbers 1, 6, 23, 37, 42, Mega Ball-22. This is not the actual numbers this is just an example. Hopefully people will understand. After knowing this and you can also research a little bit on the subject, Would the lotterys across the world be considered scams? Thank you for reading and i will enjoy your post on this thread.

reply to post by demonologist842012



My answer would be, no. Here is why. When you buy a lottery ticket, or hell, even a scratch ticket, you know that there is only a CHANCE you could be a winner, doesn't matter if it's a small win or a big one. You know there is only the CHANCE you could win. You place your money down because you think, hell, my $1 could turn into $1,000,000 without effort, and if I lose, it's only a dollar.

Now, if they said that every ticket was a winner, and they weren't, that would be a scam. I think most likely, that the number line up low-high or high-low is because they are rearranged that way for visual appeal and ease. The live ball ones you see on tv aren't generally that same low-high or high-low layout.

*when I say You, I am not saying you specifically, but you as the person buying a lottery ticket.

Edit: I admit, spending a dollar to win a million is a cool idea, but don't do it everyday with every dollar.

Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket, looked up the winning numbers and lost?

Mostly losers, and that scam is not worth giving them the dollar. I will make one exception to giving my dollar for the unity of my fellow workers. It does draw your co-workers closer with a false hope. As an management type, yes it benefits you to lose a dollar to speak with your employees outside of work, on there level, and see to their needs.

Dude, you need to learn statistics...badly.
This post is just sad really. I suppose there's a reason they call the lottery an "idiot tax."

I'll try to help you out...you aren't close to winning, if you don't have more than 4 correct, not close, correct numbers. Statisitics says you will usually be "close" as you depict. You are still so far away from actually winning.
They rearrange the numbers they draw so they are in order...which puts the highest number at the end. Statistics dictates that most times the megaball will be lower than the highest number. This "pattern" you discovered, isn't a pattern. It's just how they arrange the numbers. The numbers come out of the machine any which way...and it doesn't effect your bet at all if they are in order or scrambled...it's the EXACT same thing.

Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket, looked up the winning numbers and lost?

You could end that question at "Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket?" Because EVERYONE who has ever bought a ticket has lost. The few that win, have no doubt lost on occasions before winning.

naw it isn't a scam people do win regularly. its the really really long odds that make it a practically useless proposition.

How about the classic odds of being struck by lightning? The actual probability of this happening varies from year to year, but as a good estimate, the National Safety Council says between 70 and 120 people a year die in the US by lightning - so let's take 100 as our base. With the US population being approximately 265 million people, that means that the chances of being killed by lightning are roughly 2,650,000 to 1. Not very likely. However you are still 6 to 45 times more likely to die from a lightning strike than you would be to win the lottery.

www.savingadvice.com...

Originally posted by Ghost375
Dude, you need to learn statistics...badly.
This post is just sad really. I suppose there's a reason they call the lottery an "idiot tax."

I'll try to help you out...you aren't close to winning, if you don't have more than 4 correct, not close, correct numbers. Statisitics says you will usually be "close" as you depict. You are still so far away from actually winning.
They rearrange the numbers they draw so they are in order...which puts the highest number at the end. Statistics dictates that most times the megaball will be lower than the highest number. This "pattern" you discovered, isn't a pattern. It's just how they arrange the numbers. The numbers come out of the machine any which way...and it doesn't effect your bet at all if they are in order or scrambled...it's the EXACT same thing.

Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket, looked up the winning numbers and lost?

You could end that question at "Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket?" Because EVERYONE who has ever bought a ticket has lost. The few that win, have no doubt lost on occasions before winning.

edit on 13-10-2011 by Ghost375 because: (no reason given)

What about the statistic that says most statistics are wrong.

There's no scam involved.

Anyone could win, but the odds are just stacked against you. The craziest odds I've heard, involve having a better chance of dying in a car accident going to buy the ticket, then actually winning the jackpot.

I'll admit, I'm like most lottery people. I play every week, a couple of dollars here and there... It adds up, and I've only won $1.00 this year (It's a waste of money, but in my opinion it's like throwing a penny in a fountain for a wish).

The only sketchy part I see with Powerball and Mega Millions is on their tickets they say to save non winners and send them in for a chance to win via a drawing. I've checked both lottery websites and my local state lottery site, and there is absolutely no indication of a 2nd drawing from non winning tickets occurring. So perhaps that might be considered a scam. If any ATS members know how to send in non winning tickets for 2nd chances, I'll be all ears....

Scam, no. It's just a way for the "state" to give the population a false sense of hope with possibly winning while collecting more "taxes".

reply to post by demonologist842012


SnF cause I do believe the scratchers are a tax on people who can't do math. I also believe the scratchers are a scam. In each scratcher game there is a chance to win and they give you the odds of winning A PRIZE.
They list the number of winning denominations. What's missing from the equasion that determines the odds ?

reply to post by squidboy


In my state (Arkansas) you can go online and then enter in the code from the bottom of the scratch ticket of losing tickets. I'm not exactly sure how the formula works, but here recently someone did win $20,000 off of a "losing" ticket.

When I had a few more dollars and was actively playing the scratch tickets I would do that, as well as ask friends for their losers and pick up the ones laying around the stores. I probably put in around 200-300 losing tickets.

For me it just became more of a waste of time than buying the tickets were. I have some friends who have had incredible luck playing the scratch tickets. I seem to have a bad luck curse that extends to playing the lottery as much as it affects every other aspect of my life and probably haven't even come close to breaking even if I were to figure up everything I have won vs. everything I have spent.

ETA: In my state, the drawing for the "losers" is every 3-4 months or maybe even longer. I would check to see how often they do the drawing. It is likely to just be twice a year or so.

The lotto isnt a scam, its just ridiculous odds of winning. i have a book about picking lotto numbers and figuring out patterns that will increase your odds but it hasnt helped yet. The only thing that will help with winning the lotto is a lot of money and a lot of luck.

The drawings could be.
All entrys are entered into a computer terminal, at the local level ,all enterys go to the main computer.
The main computer can give a list of numbers NOT selected in a 6 number combination from all the entrys entered.
I don't think it would be that hard to get 6 pre-selected balls to come out of the ball machines,.
Not saying it is a scam, but it is possible.
And like they say, " you can't win if you don't play."

reply to post by OLD HIPPY DUDE


You are the only one that truly makes since with your reply to my thread. Most of the other posters in no way even came close to what i was looking for. Congrats. Star for you!!!!!

I'm pretty sure the couple from England who won £101 million on the euromillions from a £1.50 ticket wouldn't deem it a scam!!

Here in Michigan the scratch offs are a scam, most of the "winners" are simply prizes that equal what you paid for the ticket, People say they won two dollars on a ticket they paid two dollars for won nothing but a thin piece of cardboard. As far as the 3 and 4 digit daily draws, didn't they call that the numbers racket back when the mobsters ran it?

Lottery is a stupid tax. An extra fee stupid people pay to their government for being stupid. Always promised to fund something noble like education and always, without fail, reverted to "general fund" within five years time so the government can squander it however they want.

I was surprised to discover the UK has a "health" lottery. The funds raised are allegedly used to fund their healthcare system. I guess that is less of a stupid tax and more of a guilt tax. It's also a sign that their system isnt the well-funded failsafe pride so many of them tout it as but that is another thread.

Sort of a scam..
Although
You DO have a 1 in a few million chance of winning
as you do with getting hit with lightning..

Me? I would rather spend it on booze...

Research "chance" and randomness. That's what a lottery is.

Regards

They make their money from the people buying tickets, not from "keeping the jackpots".

The jackpots are almost always given away to someone (unless they fail to claim a winning ticket). Therefore, rigging the game so nobody wins doesn't make any additional money for them, because the jackpot accumulates and is eventually given away.

...although I suppose you can argue that the larger jackpots create a greater interest in playing. Therefore, a large jackpot may be desirable to the people running the lottery.

However, if a consistent number of people bought tickets every week, it would not matter if someone won every week or if 20 weeks pass between people winning. The people running the lottery would make the same amount of money.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think lottery profits are tied at all to whether people win or lose (at least not for the "Lotto"). I think they take a percentage of each dollar spent on ticket purchases, and the rest goes into the jackpots.