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What the heck is with the lottery, anyway?
#1
Why would anyone buy lottery tickets? It's just a stupid against-all-the-odds gamble.
Ontario has "Lotto 649", in which you pick 6 different numbers from 1 to 49. So, according to my calculations, the odds of winning are 1 in 432938943360. It's funny, and very stupid, because the odds of being dealt a royal-flush in Spades (the very best hand) in poker, are 1 in 311875200. Still unlikely, but a lot less numbskulled than lottery tickets.
f only life let you press CTRL-Z.
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#2
Quote:Lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math

I guess people like the thought of MAYBE winning a huge sum of money, and "the price of one game is very tiny related to what you can win!"...
url=http://www.copy-pasta.com]CopyPasta[/url] - FilePasta
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#3
Quote:It's just a stupid against-all-the-odds gamble.
That's exactly why people do it. If they haven't learned what it actually does, they buy lottery tickets because it's human nature to challenge the odds (including death, which is why the market for modern medicine continues to thrive). Of course, if people realized what would happen to them AFTER they won (friends becoming jealous of you...), they wouldn't buy tickets.
974277320612072617420666C61696C21 (Hexadecimal for those who don't know)
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#4
To someone with economic problems, the small glimmer of hope that a lottery ticket can bring can be valued at the small price it costs.
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#5
That's the only thing the lottery has going for it. There's a chance of a return much greater than what you shell out, whereas with Poker you generally have to risk a lot to win a lot.
If you're going to play the lottery, you should buy a few of the more expensive tickets with better odds. In Canada there's the Heart & Stroke Foundation lottery, where odds are 1 in 5 you'll win something. The tickets cost $100 or so, but if you buy two of those, it's 1 in 2.5 you'll win something with a greater value than the ticket prices themselves.

Of course, a smart gamble is learning your stuff at the stock market and playing around with a few thousand dollars.
f only life let you press CTRL-Z.
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#6
Quote:
Zack Wrote:It's just a stupid against-all-the-odds gamble.
That's exactly why people do it. If they haven't learned what it actually does, they buy lottery tickets because it's human nature to challenge the odds (including death, which is why the market for modern medicine continues to thrive). Of course, if people realized what would happen to them AFTER they won (friends becoming jealous of you...), they wouldn't buy tickets.

very true. ive read studies that a fair amount of money can actually make you happier, but way too much out of nowhere like the lottery can have serious mental, and social consequences
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#7
lottery is a "good" source of money for local governments. that is why they were created. all forms of leagle gambling are taxed(U.S.)
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#8
Quote:1 in 432938943360
Er might want to check your calculations there.
Its 49nCr 6. As numbers cant be reapeated. One in approx 14 million. How did you do your calculation? I cant seem to figure out the method you used( i tried 49!, 49nPr 6 and none of them got the same result).
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#9
I figured it as like this: you have to pick 6 unique numbers from 1 to 49.
So you hav 49 choices. Pick one, then you have 48, then you have 47, etc. So 49 * 48 * 47 * 46 * 45 * 44 * 43 = 432938943360. Odds are 1 in 432938943360.
But I'm not well versed in statistics - I may be wrong?
f only life let you press CTRL-Z.
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#10
Yes you are wrong. Its approx. 14 million. Try again.

First your caclulating the odds the wrong way. Secondly your counting 7 numbers. So if we do it your way it comes to 49nPr6 (you just calculated 49nPr7 which is great, but you dont pick 7 numbers).

Now why does 49nPr6 not work? Becuase

These numbers
1 2 3 4 5 6 are counted several times, meaning
2 1 3 4 5 6 would be counted as a second set, etc but the lottery doesnt care what order you pick your number, so those are the same. So your cacluting millions of reduntand options.

Want more info?
http://www.maths-help.co.uk/Knowldge/Sta...estion.htm

Now please dont post complety ridicoulous statistics here, even the official lottery site will tell you the odds are 1 in 14 million.
b]Hard Rock[/b]
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