Comments on: Lottery = Stupid Tax http://www.logicnest.com/archives/70 The personal site of Ian Luke Kane. Thoughts on mathematics, logic, and life. The beauty therein and the strangeness of it all. Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:25:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Nick http://www.logicnest.com/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-7090 Nick Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:12:39 +0000 http://www.logicnest.com/?p=70#comment-7090 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-%E2%80%9Care-lottery-players-stupid%E2%80%9D/ Please have a look and tell me what you think! Thank you, Nick 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-%E2%80%9Care-lottery-players-stupid%E2%80%9D/

Please have a look and tell me what you think!

Thank you, Nick

]]> By: Anon http://www.logicnest.com/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-6418 Anon Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:17:44 +0000 http://www.logicnest.com/?p=70#comment-6418 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. 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.

]]> By: Daniel Maurer http://www.logicnest.com/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-621 Daniel Maurer Tue, 26 Dec 2006 15:24:33 +0000 http://www.logicnest.com/?p=70#comment-621 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. 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.

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