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Seattlest doesn't have burning convictions about the lottery. We tend to think people who buy multiple tickets per week are, um, not utilizing their money as effectively as possible.
But we don't bother chiding them, mostly because -- we confess -- we've bought the occasional lottery ticket. Fewer than 10 tickets in our adult life, but still, we're not pure.
And we think it was worth it. The mild anticipation, the "what if?" conversations, the chit-chat around the office, weighing the correct ratio of hookers to blow -- it was worth a dollar each time to be able to participate in the buzz. (Telling people "the lottery is a tax on stupid people" isn't participating in the buzz -- it's an invitation to be punched in the face by people who don't savor condescension.)
Will we buy a ticket for Mega Millions, now that the prize pool is up to a gazillion dollars? We might invest a dollar if we happen to stop by a sales outlet today, but we won't go out of our way. But we know lots of people only play the lottery when the payout gets big enough. Are you one of them? And are you buying a ticket today?
(Oh, and remember: take the lump sum.)
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The odds of winning the jackpot are mathematically in favor of buying a ticket (about 1:170,000,000, according to the P-I).
Yes, we bought one.
Bought one. I've lectured people on the past about the unfavorable odds of the huge jackpots, but what are you gonna do.