A good lotto bet (really!)

Quote: slyther

I don't begrudge people their superstitions. If that's how they derive enjoyment from the game then so be it.

Irrational beliefs are bad enough, irrational actions can be worse. Someone watches TV and sees a feature about the Lotto lines being long because the amount in the prize pool is very large and then the TV-viewer decides to drive to the local convenience store and buy a ticket. Seven times more likely to die on that drive than to win the lottery, but he chooses to take the risk because somebody has to win.

The belief of a lucky rabbit's foot is strange, since the rabbit obviously was not all that lucky. A woman rubbing a bald man's head at the craps table may or may not be arousing to her but it sure doesn't affect the dice! Calling out a desired number is fine and dandy, but from what I've figured out so far those dice just don't listen to me. Indeed, it turns out that the dice don't even have ears. So why do people do this stuff?

BTW I've refined the Rapid Lotto idea:

1) The jackpot is fixed at one nano-billion dollars. Payable in full and at once.
2) Customer picks 6 out of 100 numbers. Multiple combinations of up to 30 numbers are available.
3) Price per combination is $0.50
4) There is no prize drawing. Instead all customers get awarded a random prize of between 5% and 15% of their buy-in, no matter how large. The jackpot is awarded to every 11th customer who doesn't receive a 15% prize. Everybody always wins! (taxes are the strict responsibility of each winner).
5) TOP SECRET TIP! The odds of receiving the 15% prize increase proportionally to the buy-in amount (Don't tell anyone! It's an insider's tip! People have died for blabbing about it! It's what THEY don't want you to know!!)
6) All tickets sold are guaratneed winners!

What do you think?

Quote: Nareed

1) The jackpot is fixed at one nano-billion dollars.

Uh, is that $1? The twists and turns of your lotto plan are so complex that they sound like a typical side bet on a table game. Or maybe at a carnival.

Quote: Doc

Uh, is that $1? The twists and turns of your lotto plan are so complex that they sound like a typical side bet on a table game. Or maybe at a carnival.

I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks!

Yes, the jackpot is $1.

I'm operating on the Water Principle: if you call an ordinary substance, small amount or common object by some odd, scientific-sounding name, lots of people won't know what you're talking about. This is based on the old "Dihydrogen Monoxide" joke. I could say, too, the combination cards must to be marked with a graphite-cellulose composite two-dimensional deposition device, otherwise they will be rejected by the photonic-based shape recognition electron-activated apparatus :)

So the jackpot in Melate climbed back up. I amde a decision on how to play, and it turned out to be extremely easy: I went back to my "core" team of former weekly players. So now it's just the four of us, all of them family BTW, and there are no problems at all. They don't throw their superstitions at me and they pay on time.

to be sure I've one third the chances I would have if I got 8 others to play, but I'll take the lack of agravation instead.