UH OH - Lottery is accepting CREDIT CARDS

applecruncher

applecruncher

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Location
Ohio USA
WHAT?! :eek:mg1:

Yes. I don't know about other states, but here in Ohio people can now use credit cards to play the lottery (up to $100 a day).

In another thread I said I sometimes buy lottery tickets, and I also see nothing wrong with other people playing.But using credit cards to play the lottery is a VERY bad idea, and that's putting it mildly.

CLEVELAND-- The Ohio Lottery will soon begin accepting cashless payments at its self-service vending machines as it moves toward accepting credit, debit and e-wallet payments for all lottery purchases.

Last week, technicians began retrofitting 6,000 self-service machines at retailers statewide. They will accept cash and non-cash payments beginning October 29, according to an Ohio Lottery spokesperson.

(full article)
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http://fox8.com/2017/09/12/ohio-lot...redit-cards-at-self-service-vending-machines/
 

​Here in NY it is still cash only. But, like you, allowing play with a credit card is SUCH a bad idea. I went through a bad time where I was spending way to much money on lottery tickets. I still have to monitor myself and have to be careful.
 
Looks like some people will be losing a lot more of their money than in the past. I always spent very little for lottery tickets, always assuming it was money out the window, been a long time since I played. Most I ever won was $42. Losing cash is hard enough, wouldn't want to have my losses rubbed in my face with a credit card bill later that month.
 

That’s as bad as having teller machines in hotels with poker machines as we have here in Australia ...and they are conveniently placed right by the poker machine room entrance
 
I would assume that people who have a serious gambling problem will not end up paying the credit card company. The cost of the lottery tickets for those folks will ultimately end up as a credit card charge-off that will be paid by the people that don't have a serious gambling problem in the form of higher credit card fees and interest rates.
 
I don't know if it's the same here in the Uk whether people can or can't pay using a credit card...but I agree we will all end up paying for gambling addicts who max out their cards...and also I don't know how it is in the US..but here taking the bankruptcy route is all too easy and they can get obtain a type of credit again after just 12 months instead of the previous 7 years..
 
There is little difference between a heroine and a gambling addiction. True, people don't go through the body's chemical effects, at withdrawal. But the emotional effects are just as real. And there is absolutely no difference between what a heroine addict, or a gambling addict, will do to get money for a"fix". Gambling establishments know that the average gambler generates just enough profit to keep the businesses going. Gambling addiction is where the profit is. Even if addicts win big, they won't leave until every cent is gone. Allowing the average gambler to use credit cards sounds innocent. But for gambling establishments, it's bigger profits. It's like telling an alcoholic that instead of paying cash for drinks at the bar, he can put them on his credit card. And the bar gets paid for all he can drink. Of course, the alcoholic will be responsible and not run up a big bar tab. Is being able to gamble made easier for some, worth the devastation to people around a gambling addict?
 
Allowing the average gambler to use credit cards sounds innocent. ​
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No, it does not sound innocent. That's my point.

Actual gambling addiction is one thing, and it involves activities other than the lottery (card games, slot machines, horse racing, etc.) But addiction is another discussion.

Some people who are already having trouble managing their finances will max out their credit card(s) to buy lottery tickets and rationalize it by telling themselves they're buying so many tickets/chances to win the lottery that they have to win. I've seen stories about people spending their entire paychecks and selling their car in order to buy massive amounts of lottery tickets - and they don't win anything.

Big jackpot winners usually have spent $2, $5, or $10 - not hundreds or thousands on tickets. If it's meant to be it will happen, if not it won't.
 
I'm not a gambler; I'd rather waste my money at the mall. But I know the casinos have accepted credit cards for years so I guess I don't see the difference in allowing lotto tickets on credit. (I hate casinos but I do enjoy a good buffet. :D )
 
The rate of alcoholics and ambling addicts are about the same. 3%. There's close to 10 million gambling addicts in the US, today. I lived with a gambling addict. For years, she kept it hidden. Yeah, we knew she bought more lottery tickets than she admitted us. We chuckled about it. I should have known. A bunch of us, from work, would go to Atlantic City (in the 90s). She always got lost in the crowd. Once I found her, putting quarters into the slots. She'd put 3 quarters in, pull the handle, throw 3 more quarters in, pull the handle. Over and over. That wheel( with cherries, lemons, bars) never stopped spinning. The machine was making wining noises and loosing noises, but that was from previous spins. It hadn't caught up, yet. She looked like she was having an orgasm. Like I said the lies were getting bigger and more often. She was taking vacation days and sneaking off to A.C. We have off track horse race betting parlors in PA. She was seen betting heavily almost everyday. We both made the same salary. I don't know how she was able to do that. I went to a Gamblers. Anon. meeting. I asked if she had an addiction. They told me that I already knew the answer. And yeah, I did. Then, they told me that since we weren't married, if she suspected I knew about her gambling; she would be gone. Never seen her since that day.
 
I know several people in our age group who pay for everything using a credit card now days , because they don’t feel,safe carrying cash , so I guess if they buy lottery tickets they will also use their credit card as well , which I don’t see any harm in if you buy within your means
 
applecruncher said:
Please.....let's not turn this into an addiction discussion. A separate thread can be started for that.
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Like you, my first thought was this is bad news. But like others have mentioned cash purchases seem to be going away. Heck even physically using credit cards seem to be giving way to Android Pay, Apple Pay, Chase Pay, Samsung Pay, etc where you make purchases against your credit card with your smart phone. I haven't done that yet but briefly looked into it since my Chase credit card was offering 5% rebates for the first quarter of this year on those types of purchases.
 

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