The lottery is really really stupid. (1 Viewer)

[CletiusMaximus]

It's one of the most regressive taxes of all, as it hits lower income / lower educated people disproportionately. My law school tax professor called our state lottery the "cruelest tax." Particularly insidious in that the state advertises its lottery as though it were a reasonable, fun use of one's disposable income.

 

[spOOfy]

Oh, and as an aside, I'm so pissed at that guy who found the bug in all the video poker machines in Vegas, then stupidly got caught when he went for one big payday cashout instead of just hopping from machine to machine for small $500 hits here and there and staying under the radar forever.

Do you know what the bug was? How was he beating the system?

The standard multi-game video poker machine, one of the games in the machine had a bug. I don't remember the exact game, it was like Bonus Deuce's Wild or something. Basically, he'd play the machine for a penny a hand. When he was dealt a "made" hand, like, a straight or a flush or better, before drawing any additional cards (the hand so strong he'd hold all 5 anyway), then he'd back out of that game by going to the game menu and selecting a different game (like Jacks-Or-Better). He'd then play one hand of that game for the max bet on the machine (say $1). After one hand, the game would register his new stakes, and he'd go back to the game menu and select back to Bonus Deuce's Wild. The hand he left open would still be there, sitting on the screen, waiting for him to select cards to hold/draw. However, the game would register the current bet as $1 and have the payouts set accordingly. He'd hold all 5 and get the max.

TL;DR: bug let you select your wager stakes after you saw the hand it dealt you. He'd burn through a penny a hand until getting dealt a great made hand, then up his bet 100x.

ETA: got caught when he kept hitting the same machine for payouts so big he needed to fill out an irs form to cash out. Casino recognized him after the second time hitting big on their same machine. Tallies also showed that one machine was losing thousands consistently while the ones around it were steady money makers, so they were on the lookout.

Do you get in trouble for this or does the casino merely remove the machine?

IIRC, casino paid him out, but banned him from ever coming back. The company that makes the video poker machines (IGT?) patched them all before this got published in the news.

nope, they tried to have him tried for a crime, actually. just posted a link. it's from 2013, so not sure what has happened since then.

looks like they beat the criminal charges, but may have had all winnings seized.

http://www.wired.com/2014/10/cheating-video-poker/

 

[Willie Neslon]

There is a strategy to playing scratchers. They usually put a "3-pair" (for a 6 or 8 space game) on the roll just a few spots ahead of a nice winner. You buy one of each and hope for either a winner or a 3 pair. If you get neither then you quit. If you get the winner you cash it and walk away. If you get the "3-pair" then you buy 5-10 (I usually go for around 6) of that ticket. I've made nice money with this strategy over the years. We bought our first bedroom set on a $500 win after a 3-pair.

 

[Short Corner]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

I know where you can get a great deal on ocean front party just outside of bakersfield. HMU

 

[E-Z Glider]

I've made nice money with this strategy over the years.

 

[GoFishTN]

There is a strategy to playing scratchers. They usually put a "3-pair" (for a 6 or 8 space game) on the roll just a few spots ahead of a nice winner. You buy one of each and hope for either a winner or a 3 pair. If you get neither then you quit. If you get the winner you cash it and walk away. If you get the "3-pair" then you buy 5-10 (I usually go for around 6) of that ticket. I've made nice money with this strategy over the years. We bought our first bedroom set on a $500 win after a 3-pair.

What's a 3-pair? Asking for a friend.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

https://www.google.com/#q=scratchers

California is hella dumb

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I kinda liked it. We read that one in high school and it's always stayed with me.

 

[Willie Neslon]

There is a strategy to playing scratchers. They usually put a "3-pair" (for a 6 or 8 space game) on the roll just a few spots ahead of a nice winner. You buy one of each and hope for either a winner or a 3 pair. If you get neither then you quit. If you get the winner you cash it and walk away. If you get the "3-pair" then you buy 5-10 (I usually go for around 6) of that ticket. I've made nice money with this strategy over the years. We bought our first bedroom set on a $500 win after a 3-pair.

What's a 3-pair? Asking for a friend.

If you need 3 of something to win and you get two of something 3 times on the same ticket

 

[Jack White]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

Fallacy.

The lottery money replaces other money that would have been spent on education anyway.

Fact is, it's a voluntary tax that poor people and stupid people pay.

 

[GoFishTN]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

Fallacy.

The lottery money replaces other money that would have been spent on education anyway.

Fact is, it's a voluntary tax that poor people and stupid people pay.

TN uses lottery money to provide free two-year college for residents. That doesn't happen otherwise.

 

[Jack White]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

Fallacy.

The lottery money replaces other money that would have been spent on education anyway.

Fact is, it's a voluntary tax that poor people and stupid people pay.

TN uses lottery money to provide free two-year college for residents. That doesn't happen otherwise.

So poor people and stupid people fund free "education" for other poor and stupid people?

 

[GoFishTN]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

Fallacy.

The lottery money replaces other money that would have been spent on education anyway.

Fact is, it's a voluntary tax that poor people and stupid people pay.

TN uses lottery money to provide free two-year college for residents. That doesn't happen otherwise.

So poor people and stupid people fund free "education" for other poor and stupid people?

Has anyone ever told you you're kind of an #######?

 

[Scoresman]

https://www.google.com/#q=scratchers

California is hella dumb

At least we're specific with our soda orders and don't just say "coke" like a dummy when we really want a 7-up

 

[eoMMan]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

I know where you can get a great deal on ocean front party just outside of bakersfield. HMU

HMU?

 

[Scoresman]

Hairy Man Unit

 

[NCCommish]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

Fallacy.

The lottery money replaces other money that would have been spent on education anyway.

Fact is, it's a voluntary tax that poor people and stupid people pay.

TN uses lottery money to provide free two-year college for residents. That doesn't happen otherwise.

So poor people and stupid people fund free "education" for other poor and stupid people?

Has anyone ever told you you're kind of an #######?

He's been told

 

[Freelove]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

I know where you can get a great deal on ocean front party just outside of bakersfield. HMU

HMU?

Hairy Man Unit

Sounds like an ocean front party to me.

 

[Jack White]

A lot of money goes back to the state which in turn helps things like education. I know here in Florida, billions and billions have gone to education.

So there's that.

Fallacy.

The lottery money replaces other money that would have been spent on education anyway.

Fact is, it's a voluntary tax that poor people and stupid people pay.

TN uses lottery money to provide free two-year college for residents. That doesn't happen otherwise.

So poor people and stupid people fund free "education" for other poor and stupid people?

Has anyone ever told you you're kind of an #######?

I just call 'em as I see 'em.

And in case you haven't noticed, I couldn't care less what you think of me.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

https://www.google.com/#q=scratchers

California is hella dumb

At least we're specific with our soda orders and don't just say "coke" like a dummy when we really want a 7-up

It's called pop

 

[VA703]

Oh, and as an aside, I'm so pissed at that guy who found the bug in all the video poker machines in Vegas, then stupidly got caught when he went for one big payday cashout instead of just hopping from machine to machine for small $500 hits here and there and staying under the radar forever.

Do you know what the bug was? How was he beating the system?

He found a way to modify the multiplier for winning hands

 

[Rayderr]

I hate scratchers tickets. People will scratch them, buy more with the tickets that pay out until they run out of money. People will literally spend hundreds of dollars a day for scratchers. They hold up the line at the convenient store while they take their sweet time picking which ticket they want to throw their money away on. It's a tax on the stupid. I've never seen a normal, intelligent person buy a scratchers ticket. The only time a regular person will play is if they got a ticket for their birthday from an aunt that hates them.

I thought most places have gone to the vending machines for scratchers. Heck, even powerball and megamillions can be bought at the vending machines here.

 

[Chadstroma]

I buy tickets every couple of weeks or so. More about it being the $5 let's me dream for a few minutes and take a mental holiday. I also will ALWAYS do an office pool because damn it- I don't want to be that guy that they interview after the group wins as the one guy that is not rolling in cash, to me, it is worth $1 as insurance against being interviewed on tv as THAT guy. Do I expect to win? Nope.

Two notations on this though...

1) I remember reading about the Math Prof who won a large sum of money. Essentially, he basically said that he knew the math meant he almost assuredly would not win but it was something along the lines of what I said in terms of buying a ticket to dream.

2) I came across a lady at the Meijer in the customer service area. She had a freaking huge amount of tickets she was cashing in. I mean, just a ridiculous amount that I had to start a conversation with her. Turns out that she was with some company going through down sizing. She organized a lottery ticket party. Apparently she got the idea from some other group that did the same thing and won a significant amount of cash- basically she invited all her co-workers. Everyone that came could be one share which was $50. She then researched the various scratchers to see which one grand prizes were claimed or not, then they took the roughly $1,500 and bought scratchers. She said that they ended up actually breaking just about even but that she would never do it again because it was so much work organizing, getting the tickets, collecting on the tickets and then paying out the cash to everyone. Obviously, if they hit it big or had a decent payout then she would say differently. Basically, it is the same idea as the office pools for the lotto but I think you have better odds on scratchers and apparently you have a decent shot of breaking even if she did.

 

[Chadstroma]

I hate scratchers tickets. People will scratch them, buy more with the tickets that pay out until they run out of money. People will literally spend hundreds of dollars a day for scratchers. They hold up the line at the convenient store while they take their sweet time picking which ticket they want to throw their money away on. It's a tax on the stupid. I've never seen a normal, intelligent person buy a scratchers ticket. The only time a regular person will play is if they got a ticket for their birthday from an aunt that hates them.

I thought most places have gone to the vending machines for scratchers. Heck, even powerball and megamillions can be bought at the vending machines here.

I think the people who take their time to pick out tickets are likely the ones where these machines are too complicated for them to operate.

 

[NCCommish]

I hate scratchers tickets. People will scratch them, buy more with the tickets that pay out until they run out of money. People will literally spend hundreds of dollars a day for scratchers. They hold up the line at the convenient store while they take their sweet time picking which ticket they want to throw their money away on. It's a tax on the stupid. I've never seen a normal, intelligent person buy a scratchers ticket. The only time a regular person will play is if they got a ticket for their birthday from an aunt that hates them.

I thought most places have gone to the vending machines for scratchers. Heck, even powerball and megamillions can be bought at the vending machines here.

Not all places have them here. Walmart and grocery stores do but not convenience stores.

 

[grateful zed]

Oh, and as an aside, I'm so pissed at that guy who found the bug in all the video poker machines in Vegas, then stupidly got caught when he went for one big payday cashout instead of just hopping from machine to machine for small $500 hits here and there and staying under the radar forever.

link?

 

[Insein]

Let's see what Gus thinks.

 

[Insein]

I hate scratchers tickets. People will scratch them, buy more with the tickets that pay out until they run out of money. People will literally spend hundreds of dollars a day for scratchers. They hold up the line at the convenient store while they take their sweet time picking which ticket they want to throw their money away on. It's a tax on the stupid. I've never seen a normal, intelligent person buy a scratchers ticket. The only time a regular person will play is if they got a ticket for their birthday from an aunt that hates them.

I thought most places have gone to the vending machines for scratchers. Heck, even powerball and megamillions can be bought at the vending machines here.

Not all places have them here. Walmart and grocery stores do but not convenience stores.

All Wawa's have them in PA.

 

[NCCommish]

Let's see what Gus thinks.

She's pretty passive aggressive with her mention of Phil

 

[Chadstroma]

I hate scratchers tickets. People will scratch them, buy more with the tickets that pay out until they run out of money. People will literally spend hundreds of dollars a day for scratchers. They hold up the line at the convenient store while they take their sweet time picking which ticket they want to throw their money away on. It's a tax on the stupid. I've never seen a normal, intelligent person buy a scratchers ticket. The only time a regular person will play is if they got a ticket for their birthday from an aunt that hates them.

I thought most places have gone to the vending machines for scratchers. Heck, even powerball and megamillions can be bought at the vending machines here.

Not all places have them here. Walmart and grocery stores do but not convenience stores.

All the gas stations and convenience stores (non-indepenedent ones) around me have them.

 

[Cjw_55106]

I've finally decided how I'm going to spend my millions someday. I plan to buy a good chuck of land (size yet determined) and build about 100 of those tiny homes. I'll then work with local churches and state entities and get some of the homeless folks a long term, warm bed at night. I think its really tough (perhaps impossible) to deal with personal issues, be it drugs and alcohol or mental illness if you dont have some sort of stable living condition. 

Naturally, this is dependent upon me winning the Powerball.