Lottery Discussion
How to calculate Florida Odds! :D
www.lotto.net/florida-lotto/prizes
Fresh edit. Something is wrong with my linking. It is just putting posters back to the this very thread instead of the website. :/ The website in my signature doesn't even link at all. Have my linking privileges been revoked? :/
[edit by mod(OD) Fixed link for you. Links in Sigs don't work, by design]
Quote: NathanI kind of got permission from an Admin to start this thread.
How to calculate Florida Odds! :D
www.lotto.net/florida-lotto/prizes
Fresh edit. Something is wrong with my linking. It is just putting posters back to the this very thread instead of the website. :/ The website in my signature doesn't even link at all. Have my linking privileges been revoked? :/
To see how to make a link in a post, visit this page: https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/info/help/1-formatting-codes/.
The directions are under the title "Links and Images." When you are making your link, type the address instead of the letters URL. In other words, don't type the letters URL, but type the address in their place.
Or click "Quote" below my post to see how I made my link.
Quote: LovecompsPutting the numbers aside, the simple answer is that the odds are to low to even justify getting a ticket in the first place.
The person who won 1.6 billion before taxes on a $2 investment Mega Millions Lottery ticket is LAUGHING at what you said. In fact, they are LAUGHING so hard they on rolling on the floor! ;)
Quote: NathanThe person who won 1.6 billion before taxes on a $2 investment Mega Millions Lottery ticket is LAUGHING at what you said. In fact, they are LAUGHING so hard they on rolling on the floor! ;)
Actually, it's the state(s) that are laughing at the players, week after week, all the way to the bank. :-).
Still, feel free to go for it if you like. I'll stick to my 1.41/1.36 (more or less) disadvantage on a simple P/DP bet on the craps table :-). Also, I never heard of a losing lottery player getting a free drink along the way :-).
Did that ticket ever get cashed?Quote: NathanThe person who won 1.6 billion before taxes on a $2 investment Mega Millions Lottery ticket is LAUGHING at what you said. In fact, they are LAUGHING so hard they on rolling on the floor! ;)
Quote: LovecompsActually, it's the state(s) that are laughing at the players, week after week, all the way to the bank. :-).
I imagine the state of Florida Lottery Commission stopped laughing in middle of rambunctious laughter when the 1.6 billion dollar ticket won. The Florida Lottery Commission. "HA HA HA HA HA.... "The 1.6 Billion dollar ticket has been pulled up today." OH CRAP!'
Quote: NathanI imagine the state of Florida Lottery Commission stopped laughing in middle of rambunctious laughter when the 1.6 billion dollar ticket won. The Florida Lottery Commission. "HA HA HA HA HA.... "The 1.6 Billion dollar ticket has been pulled up today." OH CRAP!'
They knew someone would eventually win it.
Quote: michael99000They knew someone would eventually win it.
Knowing something would eventually happen is one thing. It actually happening is a whole nother thing. ;)
Quote: NathanThe person who won 1.6 billion before taxes on a $2 investment Mega Millions Lottery ticket is LAUGHING at what you said. In fact, they are LAUGHING so hard they on rolling on the floor! ;)
They couldn't care less beause a) that money only represents the prize after they took out thier rather sizable cut b) they'll put a huge tax on the money if the winner takes it up front instead of a 20 year annuity (always take it up front) and c) They knew that someone would win it sooner or later- that's why it's there in the first place.
Trust me, they laugh all the way to the bank week after week.
According to Google, as of 11/2018 nobody has claimed it. Hopefully they have moved and found a way to form a blind trust or other instrument to keep them anonymous.
They have 180 days to claim it and the only one who's getting annoyed about it is the merchant who sold it because he gets 50K once the winner steps forward. He's still waiting. :-).
Quote: unJonDid that ticket ever get cashed?
No, it has not. At this point you have to wonder if the ticket has been lost, which would be a huge win to all the states offering Mega Millions. But there is still time to claim it. They have roughly until April 22nd. I would be paranoid to wait that long to cash if I was lucky enough to possess the ticket.
So contrary to what Nathan thinks, lottery commissions certainly didn't say "Oh Crap" when someone won. They have PLENTY of money to cover it. A winner was a certainty unless you abruptly halted the game nationwide. And now there is a chance that the member states of Mega Millions get to split it all themselves if the ticket remains unclaimed.
Quote: NathanI imagine the state of Florida Lottery Commission stopped laughing in middle of rambunctious laughter when the 1.6 billion dollar ticket won. The Florida Lottery Commission. "HA HA HA HA HA.... "The 1.6 Billion dollar ticket has been pulled up today." OH CRAP!'
No, they didn't. The states still made a crapton of money on people making a bad bet. No one was even concerned, because the prize was calculated just the same as every other one. In fact, they were probably happy that it was won in their state. More good publicity for a crappy bet. Why would I say they may have been happy? There is a store in a nearby town that has a reputation for having some winners. they have a brand new store location (they sold the other one to the government for a highway project) that now includes a drive through lottery window so you can get tickets even more easily now.
You have seen the math on the lotteries, haven't you?
I do buy tickets; I could win...but the fact that it is a bad bet still does not change.
Quote: NathanI imagine the state of Florida Lottery Commission stopped laughing in middle of rambunctious laughter when the 1.6 billion dollar ticket won. The Florida Lottery Commission. "HA HA HA HA HA.... "The 1.6 Billion dollar ticket has been pulled up today." OH CRAP!'
That is not at all how it works.
Quote: NathanHighest Ranking Members, can I make THIS thread my Florida Lottery Numbers Predictions thread? ;) I nearly ran my Nathan's Corner Thread into the ground when I began making a bunch of Florida Lottery Numbers Predictions Posts on there when the point of NC was supposed to be my RANDOM thoughts and feelings thread. A bunch of Florida Lottery Numbers Predictions is kind of specific, not random. ;)
My vote's for No. But I won't take action until I have opinions from other mods.
Quote: OnceDearMy vote's for No. But I won't take action until I have opinions from other mods.
Come on, it's better than cluttering up Nathan's Corner with my Florida Lottery Numbers Predictions! :P
Quote: tringlomaneNo, it has not. At this point you have to wonder if the ticket has been lost, which would be a huge win to all the states offering Mega Millions. But there is still time to claim it. They have roughly until April 22nd. I would be paranoid to wait that long to cash if I was lucky enough to possess the ticket.
So contrary to what Nathan thinks, lottery commissions certainly didn't say "Oh Crap" when someone won. They have PLENTY of money to cover it. A winner was a certainty unless you abruptly halted the game nationwide. And now there is a chance that the member states of Mega Millions get to split it all themselves if the ticket remains unclaimed.
It’s crazy to think that if it was indeed lost by the original buyer , and it was not somehow lit on fire or torn up or destroyed , that a 1.6 billion dollar lottery ticket could be in existence and not be known about.
Maybe people are scouring landfills within a certain radius of the store it was sold in.
I also wonder if the store could release surveillance video of the person actually purchasing it. They know the time of day, just a matter of syncing up the store video
Whiteboard Blackboard Eraseable/reusable/DISPOSABLE writing surfaceQuote: NathanCome on, it's better than cluttering up Nathan's Corner with my Florida Lottery Numbers Predictions! :P
The lottery takes ninety seven cents of your dollar and lets you gamble with the three cents.
not a good bargain.
I thought RTP was in the 40s?Quote: FleaStiffin effect a casino takes twenty six cents fro your five dollar roulette bet and lets you gamble with the rest.
The lottery takes ninety seven cents of your dollar and lets you gamble with the three cents.
not a good bargain.
Quote: FleaStiffin effect a casino takes twenty six cents fro your five dollar roulette bet and lets you gamble with the rest.
The lottery takes ninety seven cents of your dollar and lets you gamble with the three cents.
not a good bargain.
In two of my local Casinos, a Roulette game is $2 minimum. The Maximum is $500. A $500 straight up bet on say number 20 is a payout of $17,500 before taxes. A Mega Millions ticket is $2. A straight number and the MB say 2,8,9,30,32 mb 10 has paid out 1.6 billion before taxes. Obviously 1.6 billion before taxes is a lot more than just $17,500 before taxes. There is no way that Roulette is the better game to play.
SMH !Quote: NathanIn two of my local Casinos, a Roulette game is $2 minimum. The Maximum is $500. A $500 straight up bet on say number 20 is a payout of $17,500 before taxes. A Mega Millions ticket is $2. A straight number and the MB say 2,8,9,30,32 mb 10 has paid out 1.6 billion before taxes. Obviously 1.6 billion before taxes is a lot more than just $17,500 before taxes. There is no way that Roulette is the better game to play.
You've been a member on this forum for how long?
Quote: NathanIn two of my local Casinos, a Roulette game is $2 minimum. The Maximum is $500. A $500 straight up bet on say number 20 is a payout of $17,500 before taxes. A Mega Millions ticket is $2. A straight number and the MB say 2,8,9,30,32 mb 10 has paid out 1.6 billion before taxes. Obviously 1.6 billion before taxes is a lot more than just $17,500 before taxes. There is no way that Roulette is the better game to play.
1) 1.6 billion is the fake jackpot; it's the sum of annuity payments over 30 years. The cash value is a 40% haircut off that (then pay taxes on that at very high marginal rates).
2) The jackpot isn't 1.6 billion dollars for every drawing. It starts at a measly $40 million and very rarely ever gets that high.
3) You can play roulette 24/7. Lottery drawings are held twice a week, again usually with a jackpot that is so low that the expected return is around 50%.
4) The variance in roulette, even on a single spot, is basically nothing compared to the massive variance of the lottery.
Quote: NathanIn two of my local Casinos, a Roulette game is $2 minimum. The Maximum is $500.
You can get a nice 9 spin martingale going on an outside bet at that table.
Quote: OnceDearSMH !
You've been a member on this forum for how long?
Apparently not long enough.
Nathan, most of the people here are well versed with math and many of them have tried to help you better understand the relationship between math and gambling. I suspect the lack of interest in your lottery pics wasn't because it was "supposed to be my RANDOM thoughts and feelings thread", but because nobody gave a damn. Very few people are from Florida anyway, and for a bunch of people who already know/believe that the lottery is a complete waste of time it's more than a little bit of a stretch to think they would be interested in or believe that someone was able to "predict" upcoming numbers. Especially someone who, as I recall, did pretty damn poorly when they tried.
Now if you want to start a thread on handicapping horses that might be a different.
An EZ Match means you have a chance to win a lot of money if one of your Fantasy 5 numbers matches the numbers on the bottom and you can win up to $2500 for just literally $1. But you are more likely to either lose, break even, or win about a dollar or two more than what you paid. In fact, I've only won $50 once and $25 a couple of times. I've never won $500 even once On an absolute perfect game, every number matches your own for $500 each or $2500. They also give super EZ Match where the prizes are multiplied and the lowest prize is $5 and the top prize is $1,000, so a perfect game is $5,000, not bad on a $2 game.
Only one of my 5 drawings showed up and only two numbers showed up, meaning it was a free ticket. My instinct told me to hold off on cashing it in for a while. Last night my instinct told me to cash it in. I did and I noticed that my free ticket was all odd numbers, which was odd, ;) and last night, the winning numbers were mostly odd numbers! ;) And 3 of those numbers were MY odd numbers and it was a Roll down, meaning my winnings would be doubled! :) My free ticket will net me $20! I will more than triple my original $6 investment. :) Shame I didn't get one more. One more winning number would have given me $555. :( So like I was saying, if you are not the Fantasy 5 top winner, but still won a second or third prize, you want a Roll down. :)
Quote: NathanI kind of got permission from an Admin to start this thread.
How to calculate Florida Odds! :D
www.lotto.net/florida-lotto/prizes
Fresh edit. Something is wrong with my linking. It is just putting posters back to the this very thread instead of the website. :/ The website in my signature doesn't even link at all. Have my linking privileges been revoked? :/
[edit by mod(OD) Fixed link for you. Links in Sigs don't work, by design]
You. ..kinda...got permission to
Start a thread
About lottery odds
from whom?
And
A thread based on gambling so lousy
And unwelcome here
That YOU'RE complaining lottery odds crashed your Nathan's corner.
No.
Absolutely not.
You broke the agreement you made with Wizard not to start new threads. Because...what? You kinda think you have permission?
Take your bad lottery advice to a bad gambling site.
This thread will self-destruct at 9am Vegas time.
Quote: NathanHighest Ranking Members, can I make THIS thread my Florida Lottery Numbers Predictions thread?
No! This thread was supposed to be a venue for you to show how the odds in the Florida lottery are calculated. Not just throw out a link about it. Unless I see some serious discussion about the mathematics of the Florida Lottery, I will be closing this thread. Either way, you should be putting your lottery picks in your corner or another site.
Quote: FleaStiffin effect a casino takes twenty six cents fro your five dollar roulette bet and lets you gamble with the rest.
The lottery takes ninety seven cents of your dollar and lets you gamble with the three cents.
not a good bargain.
PLEASE, before this thread or its posters self destruct, will an AUTHOITAVE poster please indicate whether or not my post is acorrect analysis?
Quote: WizardNo! This thread was supposed to be a venue for you to show how the odds in the Florida lottery are calculated. Not just throw out a link about it. Unless I see some serious discussion about the mathematics of the Florida Lottery, I will be closing this thread. Either way, you should be putting your lottery picks in your corner or another site.
I tried to talk serious odds when I mentioned that Lottery Odds said that 1.6 billion is more like 600 million after taxes and 400 million if taxes are taken out again. I'll admit I'm not good with calculating Lottery Odds. ;)
Quote: FleaStiffPLEASE, before this thread or its posters self destruct, will an AUTHOITAVE poster please indicate whether or not my post is acorrect analysis?
While I won’t claim to be authoitave, the return on most fixed jackpot lottery games is around 50%, not 3%.
Quote: gamerfreakWhile I won’t claim to be authoitave, the return on most fixed jackpot lottery games is around 50%, not 3%.
okay. authoritative.
not referring to roi,
but to a sort of turnstile for playing the game.
I've seen those guys in the convenience stores with scratchers. They get $10/$20/$50 worth of tickets and scratch them at the counter. If they have any winners, they convert them into more tickets. Rinse, repeat until they bust out. I could see their overall return being 3% or less.Quote: FleaStiffnot referring to roi,
but to a sort of turnstile for playing the game.
Quote: JoemanI've seen those guys in the convenience stores with scratchers. They get $10/$20/$50 worth of tickets and scratch them at the counter. If they have any winners, they convert them into more tickets. Rinse, repeat until they bust out. I could see their overall return being 3% or less.
I wondered, for the longest time, what kind of lost soul would actually buy a $50 scratch-off, especially when it might represent such a huge portion of a low wage workers gross pay (and that's assuming that they get a 40 hour work week). I figured it out. They're buying those expensive ones because they're teaming up with others to make an office pool.
The kind I like is where 10 guys at the office pool their money and lose and then one of thier wives coincidentally picks the winning ticket. :-)
Another damned metaphor? Good news indeed: So, you found a forum where the members will appreciate your musings about the Florida Lottery? Great. Take it there. Give them the exclusive on your best lottery themed content. If we need to keep up to speed, I'm confident we'll find it with google.Quote: NathanGood news! :D I have found a new "Apartment" where the Tenants and the Landlord LOVE the Lottery. ;) They not only LOVE the Lottery, they hold Lottery get togethers, and Lottery parties basically every day. :D
Quote: OnceDearAnother damned metaphor? Good news indeed: So, you found a forum where the members will appreciate your musings about the Florida Lottery? Great. Take it there. Give them the exclusive on your best lottery themed content. If we need to keep up to speed, I'm confident we'll find it with google.
I had known about it before, but I was having trouble finding out how to get my own apartment. I was allowed to visit other tenant's apartments, but today I finally mustered the courage to ask the Landlord how to get my own apartment and he told me. I'm going to move in today! :D Edit. I JUST moved in , literally a few minutes ago and already 4 other Tenants have been to my apartment. :)
Quote: WizardNo! This thread was supposed to be a venue for you to show how the odds in the Florida lottery are calculated. Not just throw out a link about it. Unless I see some serious discussion about the mathematics of the Florida Lottery, I will be closing this thread. Either way, you should be putting your lottery picks in your corner or another site.
I hold deletion in abeyance, deferring to the Wizard statement above.
Quote: beachbumbabsI hold deletion in abeyance, deferring to the Wizard statement above.
She said earlier that the lottery is a better bet than roullette because winning 1.6 billion is better than winning $35
This is the forum member in charge of a thread discussing lottery odds ?
ran into a young girl at the grocery store happily feeding lotto vending machine with her free ticket winnings.
same five dollars she was ecstatic.
Quote: NathanCash For Life has a 1 in 8 odds of winning. That doesn't seem bad at all until you realize that you are most likely only going to win about $1 extra 95 percent of the time.
Sorry, I can't take it - i was going to stay quiet, but no. This thread needs to be deleted, please. It explicitly violates the nathan agreement. Wizard warned, and this is what he got back for "math". We need an eviction here, in nathan-speak, since there are many other lottery apartments for rent.
.
I'd locked the thread moments ago, deliberately not posting, because I didn't want to bump it.Quote: beachbumbabsSorry, I can't take it - i was going to stay quiet, but no. This thread needs to be deleted, please. It explicitly violates the nathan agreement. Wizard warned, and this is what he got back for "math". We need an eviction here, in nathan-speak, since there are many other lottery apartments for rent.
.
I do oppose deleting this thread.
As I mentioned before, here is a good lottery story that was on 60 Minutes last Sunday, A retired couple explain exactly how they used math skills and a lottery loophole to win $26 million in 9 years.
