Why do people get Powerball Fever when the amount goes to extreme amounts?

H

helenbacque

Senior Member
Location
Central Florida
Apparently, many people only play when the amounts get very high or, if regular players, will buy many more tickets. It would seem to me that a simple $1,000,000 or two would change a person's life sufficiently. Why such a desire to have so much more?

I just heard a neighbor say he didn't know how he was going to pay his rent. He had spent it all on lottery tickets. Said he usually bought 1 or 2 but with it being so high, he just couldn't resist. He may have been joking but he sounded very serious and looked worried. I had to walk away before I embarrassed myself by offering unsolicited advice. I've been told that a closed mouth gathers no feet.
 

The odds of winning are 292,000,000 to one (I heard). So it's really a waste of money to play all the time for me. But my mom does play all the time.:eek:
 

I agree with Topcat.

For me two bucks is the price of a dream, not bad in today's economy.

This link is to an interesting article on lottery spending and the governments role in promoting a program that encourages you to make risky, compulsive decisions so it can turn a profit at your expense, sort of an odd thing for a government to do.

[video]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-galka/the-lottery-is-a-tax-an-i_b_8081192.html[/video]
 
Aunt Bea said:
I agree with Topcat.

For me two bucks is the price of a dream, not bad in today's economy.

This link is to an interesting article on lottery spending and the governments role in promoting a program that encourages you to make risky, compulsive decisions so it can turn a profit at your expense, sort of an odd thing for a government to do.

[video]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-galka/the-lottery-is-a-tax-an-i_b_8081192.html[/video]
Click to expand...
Its just entertainment for me. I buy one a week and I can afford that. Would never spend a lot. I am too frugal for that. Its a nice dream!
 
The fever for the top prize is mainly because of the hype as the jackpot grows to huge amounts. People love to sit around and talk about what they would do "if".

The smaller prizes are much more reachable. $1,000,000 or even $1,000 is great return on a $2 investment.
 
The odd of winning is the same whether the pot is $1M or $10M. It's the American mentality. If big is good, bigger is better. I agree. I don't play until the pot is $1B
 
I buy a powerball or megamillion ticket when the pot grows huge, but mostly I just buy a weekly state lottery ticket...at least the profits from the state lottery go to the Dept. of Education, so I just look at it as a voluntary tax. If I win, great, but I'm not ever going to put any "grocery" money into buying lottery tickets....the odds are ridiculous on these lotteries.
 

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