Who else runs into this and gets driven NUTS?: It's 6AM, you're on your way to work and your at the local mini mart to get your newspaper and coffee and would like to get to work with 15 minutes to spare to read the paper and have your coffee. BUT!......... The Lotto Junkie is in front of you! And, with a list of numbers to play as long as your arm! (the one in front of me today had a list that took 4 minutes for the kid to enter and print and came to $23.00!). Whew! Over to the cash register now. BUT WAIT!! Now he had to select another $20.00 worth of scratch off lottery tickets! (Each one requiring no less than about a half a minute each to decide upon which to buy!)
Oh well- this is absolutely no fun to be stuck behind this trainwreck, but it real life, not a true problem. (Take a walk down the halls of your local childrens hospital, see the body bags coming back from Iraq, etc, etc, etc, if you need to put problems in perspective)

I know what you mean.  It really pissed me off one day.  I went into the local convenience store to get a drink before my bus came.  I waited in line for about 8 minutes while some woman bought over $100 in Lotto Tickets.  She had like 20 Lotto tickets she was getting checked, then she bought about another 20.  Then she bought like $50 worth of Nevada tickets, then she took her sweet time picking out some scratch tickets that she thought would be lucky.  I swear I wanted to beat the hell out of this woman because she took so long, I missed my bus and had to wait an hour for the next one to which I ended up missing my class  >:(

But do you know what? Better to hold you up in the AM than on your way home when you've got your beer in hand!!  Seriously though, the main reason that the one this morning was especially annoying is because the person was sixty something yeas old and riding a bike. I'm pretty sure that she was not on her way to work like me and the 4 people behind me; you've got all day lady- give us a break.

Who else runs into this and gets driven NUTS?: It's 6AM, you're on your way to work and your at the local mini mart to get your newspaper and coffee and would like to get to work with 15 minutes to spare to read the paper and have your coffee. BUT!......... The Lotto Junkie is in front of you! And, with a list of numbers to play as long as your arm! (the one in front of me today had a list that took 4 minutes for the kid to enter and print and came to $23.00!). Whew! Over to the cash register now. BUT WAIT!! Now he had to select another $20.00 worth of scratch off lottery tickets! (Each one requiring no less than about a half a minute each to decide upon which to buy!)
Oh well- this is absolutely no fun to be stuck behind this trainwreck, but it real life, not a true problem. (Take a walk down the halls of your local childrens hospital, see the body bags coming back from Iraq, etc, etc, etc, if you need to put problems in perspective)
Yeah, for some reason this irritates the hell out of me too.

It's Murphy's Law in effect, methinks. I've run into this more times than I care to remember, but I'm remarkably patient...probably more than I should be, given the circumstances. Why can't these goofs use one of those lottery ticket vending machines? On the odd chance I want a scratchoff, I use those, and don't hold up everybody in line at a gas tation or grocery store! It's very simple...

I onlu buy one ticket at a time,since mathemAtically the odds of winning aren't much greater than buying dozens.I was once in line bhind someone who had a bunch of tickets from the PREVIOUS drawing,and he was having the guy check to see if they're winners.That's pretty annoying.

Anyone who takes a long time in lines drives me crazy.

I never understood the lottery.. I'd rather pick up pennies... you piss away hundreds of bucks in one year hoping to win crazy sums of money, I'm up 3 bucks!  :D

Anyone who takes a long time in lines drives me crazy.

I never understood the lottery.. I'd rather pick up pennies... you piss away hundreds of bucks in one year hoping to win crazy sums of money, I'm up 3 bucks!  :D
I never got into the state scratch-off lottery thing, but at my job they have a pool where everyone kicks in five bucks, and then one guy will go out and buy a bunch of numbers for the Powerball and put your name on a list.  I always feel like I have to get in on the pool because I'm afraid that the one time I don't, that'll be the time that one of their numbers will win and I'll be kicking myself for the rest of my life.
  Just the other week a work pool in my hometown of Lincoln, NE won $350 million in the Powerball, and I guarantee that there's some poor co-worker of theirs who, for whatever reason, decided to pass on that week's pool and he's just hating himself right now.

Always remember that if they win, they can say "Told You So".  ;)

I used to work in a convience store and I personal no what this is like. These people treated the lotto machines like they were slot machines. Iowa temporarily cured this problem by installing Lotto Slot Machines in hundreds of gas stations. Howeer they were quickly withdrawn after a minority of people said that they were a bad influence.

Ok, I admit it, I am a lottery junky-so sue me. I usually play the scratch tickets.




Cat

Ok, I admit it, I am a lottery junky-so sue me. I usually play the scratch tickets.




Cat


If you win, can you send me a Liberty $20?  ;)

Ok, I admit it, I am a lottery junky-so sue me. I usually play the scratch tickets.




Cat


Yes, but I don't think you buy 20 of them, scratch them, and buy another 20 all in one shot.That's who I'm complaining about.

Yes, but I don't think you buy 20 of them, scratch them, and buy another 20 all in one shot.That's who I'm complaining about.


It's their wasted money.

If you win, can you send me a Liberty $20?  ;)



Don't you wish (actually, I wish that I could afford one for myself)


Yes, but I don't think you buy 20 of them, scratch them, and buy another 20 all in one shot.That's who I'm complaining about.



You are right-I don't do that. I usually buy (or I have my husband buy) $10 worth (usually $2 tickets), bring them home and scratch them. But, I do that almost everytime we go to a certain store-which we go maybe once a week or so.



Cat

Lotteries are great. 

If you believe high educational standards are essential to technological progress, you should also support taxing people who can't be bothered to learn basic mathematics.  :)

I usually don't pay attention to what the next guys is buying. T'aint my business. However, when he's holding up the line and saying to the clerk, "gimme a Lucky Bastard Black Jack Jumping Jack Flash" (or whatever the f**k they're called), I can't help but notice. I always want to say to those people, "You know, if you could stay ahead of the game, they wouldn't print the tickets." I guess it's like all gambling, fun for a lark, but if you keep playing, the house is gonna win!
::)

It's their wasted money.


Not when I trying to buy a 59cent bottle of pop! :D

Lotteries are great. 

If you believe high educational standards are essential to technological progress, you should also support taxing people who can't be bothered to learn basic mathematics.  :)


I keep hearing that but there actually is an equation as long as the pot's over 4 million (2 million in Illinois). Granted you only have a one per 4 million chance for your dollar. But you only have to spend one dollar to gain 4 million dollars. The more you increase the jackpot, the higher the return. But that only applies to state lotteries. But when it comes to the Powerball or Big Game, forget it. The odds are astronomical thanks to that "magical" ball. In a state lottery all you have to do is get all 6 numbers, and you're a millionare. However in a national game you not only have to match the 6 numbers, but you have to match the "red ball" to a specific number. How anyone wins those things I never know.

Maxwell Smart wrote:
I always want to say to those people, "You know, if you could stay ahead of the game, they wouldn't print the tickets." I guess it's like all gambling, fun for a lark, but if you keep playing, the house is gonna win!

That's why when I do go gambling in casino I have a simple rule- don't gamble more then you bring in. Whatever you win you keep. I've seen my parents and others win a large sum and then eventually lose it all. The house has the edge and that edge will eventually wipe you out. 

The dollar store in my town sells lottery tickets...and I've had to wait in line many times because someone was feeling lucky and buying 10 or so tickets for Pick-It,  Pick- 4, Jersey Cash 5,and Pick-6, not to mention scratch-offs.

I played a couple of times and won nothing.


I'd rather play video games than gamble..at least I can get high score playing Tetris.

The dollar store in my town sells lottery tickets...and I've had to wait in line many times because someone was feeling lucky and buying 10 or so tickets for Pick-It,  Pick- 4, Jersey Cash 5,and Pick-6, not to mention scratch-offs.

I played a couple of times and won nothing.


I'd rather play video games than gamble..at least I can get high score playing Tetris.
On the other hand, lottery proceeds here in NJ go towards programs for senior citizens and disabled people, like the reduced-fare program run by NJ Transit....and goes toward Lifeline heating/cooling assistance for seniors and disabled also.