Lottery price rise 'an unfair tax on the stupid'

[JimC]

As a form of gambling, a ticket in the lottery is probably the least dangerous. In many other, more direct forms (e.g. poker machines), some people are tempted to gamble a little more, then more still...

It is fairly easy just to keep to one ticket a week, where at least it can be budgeted for, and the amount doesn't snowball...

[klr]

As a form of gambling, a ticket in the lottery is probably the least dangerous. In many other, more direct forms (e.g. poker machines), some people are tempted to gamble a little more, then more still...

It is fairly easy just to keep to one ticket a week, where at least it can be budgeted for, and the amount doesn't snowball...

As regular lotteries go, you're probably right. But many of them spawn additional products like instant scratch-and-win cards, and they are different. I've seen shopkeepers refuse to sell those to people who were obviously addicted.

[JimC]

As a form of gambling, a ticket in the lottery is probably the least dangerous. In many other, more direct forms (e.g. poker machines), some people are tempted to gamble a little more, then more still...

It is fairly easy just to keep to one ticket a week, where at least it can be budgeted for, and the amount doesn't snowball...

As regular lotteries go, you're probably right. But many of them spawn additional products like instant scratch-and-win cards, and they are different. I've seen shopkeepers refuse to sell those to people who were obviously addicted.

Yes, those scratch cards are tailored to the instant gratification crowd...

EDIT - ethical shopkeepers? What the fuck?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

To be honest though I think the government should make it a fiver and purloin 3/4 of it. If the plebs have that much money to fritter away on fantasies it could be put to better use for the dumb bastards, like a new tyre swing or fresh hay in their council estates.

They should put a 100% tax on movie tickets then.

[Audley Strange]

To be honest though I think the government should make it a fiver and purloin 3/4 of it. If the plebs have that much money to fritter away on fantasies it could be put to better use for the dumb bastards, like a new tyre swing or fresh hay in their council estates.

They should put a 100% tax on movie tickets then.

Well maybe 30%, lets not have the revolting revolting.

[Jason]

As a form of gambling, a ticket in the lottery is probably the least dangerous. In many other, more direct forms (e.g. poker machines), some people are tempted to gamble a little more, then more still...

It is fairly easy just to keep to one ticket a week, where at least it can be budgeted for, and the amount doesn't snowball...

But I'm good at poker. I started with 2000 facebucks and now I have over a million.

[Cormac]

As a form of gambling, a ticket in the lottery is probably the least dangerous. In many other, more direct forms (e.g. poker machines), some people are tempted to gamble a little more, then more still...

It is fairly easy just to keep to one ticket a week, where at least it can be budgeted for, and the amount doesn't snowball...

But I'm good at poker. I started with 2000 facebucks and now I have over a million.

I think a windfall superrax should be levied on you to bring your facebucks back to the average...

[Jason]

I did win 700,000 in the first two weeks I played.. I should have played for real money.

[Coito ergo sum]

As a form of gambling, a ticket in the lottery is probably the least dangerous. In many other, more direct forms (e.g. poker machines), some people are tempted to gamble a little more, then more still...

It is fairly easy just to keep to one ticket a week, where at least it can be budgeted for, and the amount doesn't snowball...

As regular lotteries go, you're probably right. But many of them spawn additional products like instant scratch-and-win cards, and they are different. I've seen shopkeepers refuse to sell those to people who were obviously addicted.

I've never seen a shopkeeper refuse to sell anything to anyone with money. I'm not sure I'd want shopkeepers to be policing the patrons anyway. "Yeah - I want to buy 10 cartons of Lucky Strikes, a bottle of whiskey and 100 lottery tickets. Fuck you."

[Coito ergo sum]

I did win 700,000 in the first two weeks I played.. I should have played for real money.

You'll find the game is played a bit differently when the money is real.

[klr]

As a form of gambling, a ticket in the lottery is probably the least dangerous. In many other, more direct forms (e.g. poker machines), some people are tempted to gamble a little more, then more still...

It is fairly easy just to keep to one ticket a week, where at least it can be budgeted for, and the amount doesn't snowball...

As regular lotteries go, you're probably right. But many of them spawn additional products like instant scratch-and-win cards, and they are different. I've seen shopkeepers refuse to sell those to people who were obviously addicted.

I've never seen a shopkeeper refuse to sell anything to anyone with money. I'm not sure I'd want shopkeepers to be policing the patrons anyway. "Yeah - I want to buy 10 cartons of Lucky Strikes, a bottle of whiskey and 100 lottery tickets. Fuck you."

Ah, you compassionate Yankees with your fine-tuned sense of social responsibility.

[Coito ergo sum]

Ah, you compassionate Yankees with your fine-tuned sense of social responsibility.

Not sure appointing a guy running a 7-Eleven as the morality police constitutes "social responsibility", but if that's what the Continentals think, then I guess...

[klr]

Ah, you compassionate Yankees with your fine-tuned sense of social responsibility.

Not sure appointing a guy running a 7-Eleven as the morality police constitutes "social responsibility", but if that's what the Continentals think, then I guess...

I'm not a continental - that would be the French.

IMHO, just because you're providing goods or services does not mean that you should divest yourself of all social responsibility when it comes to making money.

[Clinton Huxley]

Ah, you compassionate Yankees with your fine-tuned sense of social responsibility.

Not sure appointing a guy running a 7-Eleven as the morality police constitutes "social responsibility", but if that's what the Continentals think, then I guess...

I'm not a continental - that would be the French.

IMHO, just because you're providing goods or services does not mean that you should divest yourself of all social responsibility when it comes to making money.

Always suspected you were some kind of pinko.

[Ian]

The lottery itself is a tax on the stupid.

But it's fun once in a while. My policy is that when the prize gets above nine figures ($100 million or higher), then I play. It's fun to hope for that once in a great while. As for shmucks who play every week and hope to win each time, that's pretty silly.