Euromillions Winners Come Forward

I'm not sure it does. I'm more likely to buy a lottery ticket that could potentially win £180 million than I am to buy a strip of raffle tickets in the pub that win a hamper or a tray of meat, but cost the same price.

I don't know what that says about me, but if it's anything bad, then I guess I'm guilty of it. The reality is I'd prefer £180 million than a tray of meat and I'd be lying if I said otherwise.

 

£180m is obscene as a lottery win. Let’s say 90 people are guaranteed £2m or 180 a million, that’s plenty.

If sales dropped so much to ‘only’ create 30 millionaires, that’s fine by me. I’d rather good is done for more people than more good is done for one.

 

The good is the amount given to charaties from the proceeds of the sales

 

We’ll have to disagree on this one. There’s no world I’d create where a game creates such wasteful excess for one individual.

 

If sales dropped the amount good causes get would also drop and that would be bad.

 

Wasnt there criticism in the last tender offer that insufficient amounts were given to good causes?

 

I'm not exactly sure why it's private. Imagine if it was owned by the people (i.e. nationalised). I appreciate the poorest would literally be being taxed on hope but got to be better than a company running away with profits?

 

For the record, I have a lot of problems with the lottery. Primarily, it is, essentially, a poor person's tax. It offers a chance out of the hopelessness of it all. It's a tiny chance. An infinitesimal chance. But it is legitimate, because someone does win it.

The chances of winning it are so low that it doesn't appeal to anyone who is comfortable, anyone who is content, because you pretty much know you're not going to win, so why waste any money when you're not desperate to change your life anyway. Life is OK.

But for millions life is not OK. It is far from OK. And however small a chance there is of winning, it's worth it because you couldn't do anything to improve your life with the money you spent on a ticket anyway. You'd be £71 short of paying the gas bill instead of the £73 short you are after buying a lottery ticket. And between buying the ticket and the draw you get to escape, you get to dream about what you'll do if you win. First you'll pay the gas bill, then the council tax, then take Jacob to McDonalds and get him a Big Mac, and then buy him some adidas trainers, and I wonder how much it costs to get someone to shoot my boyfriend who beats me up every weekend after he's had a skinful? And then I'll go to Hawaii.

I think the small prizes they give out, which make up the vast majority of the prize fund, should be scrapped. No one does the lottery to win £2.60. Start the prizes at 4 numbers, which thousands of people win every week, and give them a few grand, which will make a massive difference, rather than £12.

What I don't have problems with is the size of the jackpot. Allow people to dream, and give an out of this world opportunity to someone who has experienced despair.

Or bin it.

 

I agree. I hardly ever do the lottery ( I've been in work syndicates and got a ticket when it started etc) It would genuinely stress me out to win that amount of money, I'd feel more comfortable with the £70,000 - 100000 you get on radio shows "make me a winner". Enough for some treats, to pay for some house improvements, new car and a more exotic family holiday for eg.

 

But they can have a life altering experience for many many millions less. And in doing it provides more people an opportunity to have that experience.

If it’s a case of some it one, in this case I can’t do anything but lean towards some.

Agree with your other points and the almost cruel tenet of hope.