Once government took up the operation Organized Gambling, the Mafia was effectively put out of business.
The lottery is risk taking with possible rewards. Not much different than the stock market......are you opposed to that too?
Sore loser!
10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball of 11.
33 winning tickets for a $1,000,000 prize each were sold around 17 states, led by six tickets in New York.
2 winning tickets each for the $2,000,000 PowerPlay, one in New York and the other in South Carolina.
Had I won the money I would have used the money for good causes; Good cars, good homes, good vacations, and good clothing.
Oh yeah, save the “George Soros” argument. Yes I know he is irresponsible and super wealthy and wealth isn’t always an indicator of reasonableness, but taxpayers didn’t line up by the millions to hand his wealth to him on a silver platter.
Clearly, someone needs to prevent me from spending $2 on a ticket when the jackpot rises to such a level. The government, maybe?
I agree that I see these types of jackpots are destructive to a society. Instead of people putting thought and energy into their families, starting businesses or working hard at their job they are consumed with the hope that all their prayers will be answered if only they win. How many otherwise productive hours are spent in line waiting to buy tickets or thinking about “their numbers” not to mention the millions of dollars spent by people on a chance. Just the other day I asked my husband how much money he thinks was spent by people who have EBT cards? We pay for their food, healthcare and housing and they use their cash for lotto, liquor and cigs. Oh...and tattoos on the necks
I'm inclined to agree.Although I buy,on average,a few lottery tickets a year (I bought two for this drawing) I'm not a big fan of gambling at all.If I had won this I would have given all but several million to charities and all but a million or so of what I kept I would have given to my sister (who has $$$ difficulties these days) and several younger members of my family.Everything I've heard about major lottery winners suggests that this winner will, someday,wish he/she had never bought the ticket.
I think you make some good points.
If someone took the cash out option and used it to build businesses which created real wealth, then that money could result in real economic growth. But otherwise, I see your point, that this money to pay the jackpot simply was re-distributed from everyone else who bought these tickets.
I’ve heard anecdotal stories of lottery winners who won millions and ended up broke later on. Anyone winning a huge prize, or inheriting substantial money, needs financial advice, big time.
And we’ve all heard similar anecdotes about professional athletes who have multi-million dollar contracts during their careers. But when their playing days are over, many of them lose all or most of what should have set them up for life, financially speaking.
Anyone who doesn’t have discipline when it comes to money will have problems if huge sums fall into their laps like this.
If I had won it I would “give back” to the community. Maybe build some midnight basketball courts. Provide a place for kids so they could make plans. To rob me. LOL! Can’t say for sure because it wasn’t me. Course you gotta buy some tickets if you want that huge welfare payment huh? Guess we’ll just stick to the slot machines. (Remember the guy in WV who won and was spending beaucoup bucks at strip clubs?) Having money doesn’t give you class, it just gives you money. Makes being miserable a little easier. I guess.
The “winner” has no idea of all the problems which lie ahead for him/her.
But, how much was skimmed off the top to help fund state education funding? Maybe another $590 million???
Just look at it like this — job creation or welfare reduction. Whoever has a job and won will leave it thus opening the position for someone else.
Largest welfare payment in history.
I never heard such a thing before. You pay into it by buying a ticket. I normally do buy a ticket or two but forgot to yesterday. I know everything is evil to some of you but this is a capitalistic venture.
Well, dang. I didn’t even check my ticket yet.
“unearned unjustified wealth transfer.”
All by choice. Nobody forcing people to buy tickets.
And for others comparing it to the stock market is about as ignorant a comment as possible. Just black hole stupid.
Nope not me...I didn’t win:-)
Let’s see how quick the winner goes broke
It’s all about the odds, and one lone ticket
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I ‘love’ it when the newsreaders gasp “OH the odds are 75 million to 1 of you winning this prize”.
The ODDS are (dependent on game set up) 75 million to 1 whether it be a $2 or 2 billion dollar jackpot.
The PROBABILITY changes the higher it gets.
Then again when the POLS have convinced the masses that if you propose to raise someone’s budget from 4 trillion to 7 trillion and it gets ‘cut back’ to 6.5 trillion, the POLS and ‘interested parties’ will claim their budget was CUT .5 trillion from last year....
Think Sequestration BS.....
Speculating in land, stocks, or anything else is gambling- the speculator is betting that they can sell for a higher price than they bought it for. The insurance “industry” is based on gambling- the insurance companies and their clients are essentially wagering on the probability of illness and accidents.
“The kind of serious societal power and influence that $590 million represents should NOT be available to any Tom Dick or Jane or Jose walking into a 7-eleven just based on chance. The destructive consequences of someone with no knowledge or ability or education or intelligence or self-discipline or managerial skill handling such enormous economic power is incalculable.”
So, only some Harvard or Yale-trained elites should have access to this much money? So, only the upper crust has any wisdom or any business having such enormous sums? We have 535 ‘elites’ and a jackass in the White House who mismanage trillions year in and year out for decades. We have banksters and other suit-clad crooks all over Wall Street who cook the books on their corporations, recieve handouts swindled from the government, and jump out with their golden parachutes after their schemes leave bankruptcy in their wake. And you maintain that someone chosen at random from the populace cannot handle money as well as some ‘elite’?
Piss be upon you. If the speculator has the right to gamble to get a profit, if the insurance man gambles that nothing bad will happen to a client, then anyone who buys a lottery ticket has a right to whatever the prize may be, great or small.