[ExI] What would you do if you won the billion dollar plus MegaMillions Lottery, and are lotteries a bad thing?

John Grigg possiblepaths2050 at gmail.com
Tue Oct 23 00:42:16 UTC 2018


The three big discussion points for lotteries seem to be, what would you do
with the money if you won, what are the odds of winning, and are lotteries
a bad thing?

Personally, I would like to think that I could enjoy life more than I do
now, if I won the l.6 plus billion lottery.  I have two huge zeppelins
built!  And with one, I would take it from city to city, where science
fiction and fantasy conventions would be held on board my aircraft!  The
second zeppelin would be loaned to the Doctors without Borders nonprofit
organization, to aid them in their work with the poor and sick.

https://www.thebalanceeveryday.com/lottery-tips-from-powerball-winners-4129586

I realize many people have allowed lotto wins to ruin them, and there are
countless stories about this phenomena.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/lottery-jackpot-winners-lost-big/story?id=36313525

I have a friend who likes to say, regarding the odds of winning, "I am just
giving the universe a chance to be extremely nice to me, if it so
chooses!"  Lol

https://www.bankrate.com/personal-finance/why-you-shouldnt-buy-lottery-tickets/

The funds for lotteries seem to go towards worthy beneficiaries, like the
arts.  But certainly, gambling addiction can be a problem for some.

Anyway, let me know what you think...  :  )

"In the middle of the 20th century, when lotteries first started in the
U.S., they were sold to states as a way to benefit the American public
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/12/18/everybody-wins-lotteries-like-mega-millions-benefit-taxpayers-seniors-schools-more/#4da07fb63dc9>.
That suggests that bigger and bigger jackpots should mean more tax dollars
to spend on public services like education. But that isn’t happening. So
what’s really going on?

First, let’s look at how lottery jackpots got so big. This particular
jackpot started at $40 million in July, and week after week, no one drew
the winning numbers, but the tickets keep getting bought.

You too have the chance to win the biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever with
the simple purchase of a $2 ticket. However, your chances are pretty slim.
With a 1 in 300 million chance of picking the matching numbers, you are
three times more likely to be killed by a vending machine
<http://moneyminiblog.com/interesting/things-more-likely-happen-winning-lottery/>.
An easier way to really wrap your head around your chances: It’s like
flipping a coin and getting heads 30 times in a row."

https://theconversation.com/the-mega-millions-jackpot-is-now-more-than-1-billion-where-does-all-that-lottery-profit-really-go-105279
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