I don’t know what the hell this article seems to be talking about. I think that the article would like me to believe that several professors at a school in the UK have somehow “cracked” the lottery system. Well, let’s examine their method. They “bagged the big prize by using two boxes, 49 pieces of paper and a large amount of brain power”. Check. It took the group 4 years and about $9000, but they actually hit the six digit number to the tune of $13 million.
Ahem…
Luck. These people hit the lottery. These people didn’t “crack” anything. This so-called system of “brain power”: luck. Though I don’t know all of the particulars regarding the lottery game they won, I can be sure that their method didn’t vastly improve their odds. (If anyone knows exactly how the odds were changed using the method described in the article please let me know.)
It’s PROBABILITY, people! The state wouldn’t run a lottery if they didn’t make money off of it. The lottery is designed to make the state money. And I assure you that they make a LOT of money off of us playing.
So please, don’t let articles like this fool you. There is no system for winning the lottery. At least not one that’s profitable. Or legal. So go invest your money in a house or a mutual fund. Consider this my public service announcement of the day.
Tags: Lottery, Stupid Tax
Amazing. The innumeracy of our society baffles me. Recently, in my home state of North Dakota there was a periodical published that a person could purchase for a particular subscription fee. Within these pages, the publisher attests, are lists of lotto numbers that haven’t been ‘hit’ yet. The genius of this scam is that there is nothing falsified in print. The readers themselves make the corrolation that if a certain number hasn’t been used, then it must have a greater probablity of selection.
What is so asinine about the report you have cited is that it seems to show that very smart people (computer programmers, professors, etc) have “cracked” the system. In reality, lotteries prey on the greedy stupid masses. It is an injustice to the max.
Lottery is really a waste of money and valuable time.If you have a good job that pays well you don’t need to do this.And really.How many people ACTUALLY get the money and spend it on food and charity?Hm?You just spend it on cars and “honeys”.Seriously..IF you do win the lottery I mean c’mon.Do some good.
Hi,
Interesting article, however I disagree that playing the lottery is stupid. This view leaves out the value we get from the benefit of anticipation. The question is: are there people for whom the value of anticipation is greater than the “cost of disappointment” (from not winning) and the “value of money to play in lottery” combined?
I’ve recently written an article on it: http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2009/09/lottery-and-happiness-or-“are-lottery-players-stupid”/
Please have a look and tell me what you think!
Thank you, Nick