Mega Millions not the ticket to lift lottery

LA Daily News ^ | 6/18/06 | Harrison Sheppard

[weegee]

There is no product. Just a crap shoot at wish fulfillment.

[spikeytx86]

HEY! That's my Mom's pension you are talking about :-)

[atomicpossum]

Helluva way to fund a gummint.

[Toby06]

If you only play a couple bucks at a shot, you could consider it entertainemnt, otherwise it's just a voluntary tax on those bad at math

[NormsRevenge]

No wonder some kids slide thru school, they know they have a shot to hit the big one when they come of age.. yup, preying on one gullible and eager group of folks to benefit another group who could care less. The people who make the money are the middle men and the gubamint.

A mob-like operation yet "legit". and I'm not just saying that becuz I have never hit the big one, mind you. ;-)

[BenLurkin]

$12 Million

$70 Million

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Most third world countries have three things in common.
1) a lottery
2) soccer
3) small or declining middle class

[prisoner6]

As someone esle mentioned lottery games are basically a tax on the stupid and porr at math.

That said I usually - but not always- play 2 bucks a week on the powerball. If I miss playing I don't freak out like some folks I know.

What I'm waiting for is the HUGE disappointment that will come when the gambilng in PA finally gets up and running. Everybody here has the >expected< revenues spent 5 times already, and the best part is it isn't gonna happen. NOBODY is going to come to places like Pittsburgh to play casino slots. The revenues will all come from the >already strained and meger< discretionary money the residents here have.

And they're the ones who are expecting to reap a windfall from state sponsored gambling via reduced taxes. When all is said and done they'll be worse off than before and lots of mom and pop places, local taverns and such , who support their business via illegal gambilng will be out of business.

The next few years are going to be very interesting in PA. It very well could spell the end of the rat and rino boys in Harrisburg, and pave the way for a conservative takeover.

prisoner6

[scrabblehack]

I play only when the jackpot gets large -- I think Powerball is at $100M or so right now -- I might think about buying a ticket at $200M.

[Shyla]

Why not play a couple of bucks a week? The year before last on a two dollar ticket I hit five grand. At that point it was a windfall. I put the money in my safe and saved some of it for Christmas, the rest I used for bills. I had the the store I bought my ticket at, save all the looser tickets for me and when tax time came, the entire pot was all mine. Feeling guilty? --- not at all. This past year by plaing six bucks a week, have collected two grand. Tax on stupid????? My daughter loves the bike I bought her. To play the way some people play......well... not me. I have been lucky, but not stupid.

[Toby06]

Six bucks a week is still entertainment level. $40 a day is hardcore addict level. I see lots worse getting my coffee in the morning!

[Shyla]

I belong to a FOE. Great group of people, cheap drinks and the food is fantastic... They have a drawing every Sat, night at 7 and 9. You have to sign up prior to 6 on Sat. Last year I hit the 9 drawing, if there you got the pot (4,000) and if not half. That was fine by me. I am usually home on Sat nights, a couple of weeks later I hot the 7 o'clock (not there also) and made 750.


An awesome group of people that really give to the community, but I prefer to be at home. Of course, now that summer is here, I will start going to the mountains as much as I can.

[Toby06]

What's an FOE?

I rarely drink away from home, way too much risk, and i can't smoke anywhere anymore. Screw it, i cook better than restaurant crap anyway.

[FreedomCalls]

I had the the store I bought my ticket at, save all the looser tickets for me and when tax time came, the entire pot was all mine. Feeling guilty? --- not at all.

Admitting to what seems to be felony tax fraud on the public Internet where you are traceable and not anonymous would seem to me to make one feel a little guilty.

[Toby06]

she'd be stupid not to do everything she can to reduce the fed gov't sponsored paycheck rape.

[FreedomCalls]

she'd be stupid not to do everything she can to reduce the fed gov't sponsored paycheck rape.

she'd be stupid not to do everything she can legally to reduce the fed gov't sponsored paycheck rape. Claiming fraudulent gambling losses is stupid.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I see nothing wrong with a lottery. Even the 1st Continental Congress established a lottery to fund the American Revolution. The Virginia Company financed the settlement of Jamestown with a lottery.

That said, all lottery proceeds should be immediately rebated back to households with children below the federal poverty guidelines to use as vouchers to send their children to private or parochial schools, which would kill off or improve public schools.

[TET1968]

I could use $200 million.

[OKIEDOC]

Why should Shyla feel guilty about anything.

Hells Bells we are a fixing to have 12 to 20 million law breakers who will get amnesty for steeling identities, tax exemption, fraud, lying and breaking numerous other laws.

Why should anyone be expected to follow laws if no illegal alien law breakers have to follow our laws.

We have fallen into the trap of declining aspirations and can't get up.