To really dislike the National Lottery

[averywoomummy]

Went to the newsagents today and saw lots of people queueing up to by lottery tickets and it got me thinking how there is something about it that makes me feel uncomfortable.

Firstly it always seems to be the people who have the least money who get the tickets. They have such a low chance of winning it's really sad to see them waste their money. Imagine if they saved £2 per week instead of spending it on tickets for the last 20 years then they would have a nice nest egg of over £2k by now which would make a real difference to some people. I really don't like the fact that people are encouraged to part with their money like this.

Secondly I think the large prizes (I saw one for 180million) are obscene. Does anyone really need 180 million I doubt it makes people happy. Why not cap the prizes at 1 million? This is more that enough to be life changing for someone. If any rolls over then why not just give it back to the charity?

I know it provides valuable funds for charity but it just seems like it preys on vulnerable people to do so.

[southeastastra]

they lottery do fund some great causes and I have benefitted from the awards myslef for a project. i really wouldn't worry about how other people choose to spend their money.

[SomePeopleNeedHelp]

YANBU, I feel the same.

Have you read 1984? There is a bit about proles being distracted and controlled by a lottery.

[Nancy66]

Of course it's the people with the least money who buy the tickets!

[averywoomummy]

somepeopleneedhelp yes I read it a long time ago and had forgotten that part but yes that does ring true!

[yarn33]

It is mostly a tax on people with poor maths skills, but unless you're prepared to ban certain people from playing because you don't think they are capable of making a sensible decision themselves there isn't much you can do. It did annoy me when they increased the odds of winning the euromillions from 80ish million to one to 110ish million to one, I really didn't get the point of that.

The increase to £2 per line on the main lotto is cynical too - preying on people who can't suppress the compulsion to play all the same lines every draw in case their numbers come up the week they don't play. If people wanted to spend £2 on a ticket they could have bought two £1 tickets.

Then again taking advantage of these sorts of compulsive people is what the gambling industry is based on...

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

YANBU. It is a tax upon the stupid.

[Theknacktoflying]

The bit that worries me is how the lottery chief is pocketing a salary of £2.1 million.

No-one forces anyone to take part, but I object to the way that a lot of charities have to jump through hoops to get funding and a lot of good works and needy places get missed. The splattergun approach just isn't working.

[yarn33]

southeastastra, you are not exactly an impartial commentator are you if you have been given lottery money yourself! I'm sure some good comes from the charity side - although some of where the money goes is questionable - but does the charity side outweigh the negative aspects of the lottery?

[IamInvisible]

£180 million would make my life bloody fab!

No-one's forced to play it, if you don't want to, don't. I do, so I do.

FWIW, in the last 19 years, we've never won 'big money', but we've won over £2k in dribs and drabs.

[Nancy66]

Someone has to win and what's wrong with hoping it might be you? Most people probably only spend a couple of quid a week.

[averywoomummy]

Iaminvisible that's great that you have won over £2k but how much have you had to spend to win that?

[Heartbrokenmum73]

Tax upon the stupid

Lovely.

[peking]

It's a harsh commentary OP but I agree with you. I used to work in a dodgy newsagent's on a very rough estate.

It broke my heart to see the parents dash straight from getting their child benefit to spend a good proportion of it - at least 1/5th - straight on scratchcards, while their DC would stand around whining with nits and dirty clothes :(

Felt even worse to be the one selling them.

[averywoomummy]

But what would anyone actually do with 180million?! I mean most people would like a nice house, posh cars, nice holidays, good education for your kids but that wouldn't come near to 180 million.

Also I'm sure it would negatively affect your friends and relationships too.

[peking]

There's been some interesting studies done on winners of massive lottery amounts. A lot of those surveyed said they'd been happier before they won, and some actively wished they hadn't.

I read this kind of thing when I'm feeling poor!

[Nancy66]

I imagine that anybody who won £180milliion would give a lot away to family and friends, not necessarily spend it all on themselves.

[Heartbrokenmum73]

It broke my heart to see the parents dash straight from getting their child benefit to spend a good proportion of it - at least 1/5th - straight on scratchcards, while their DC would stand around whining with nits and dirty clothes

What a horrible thing to post about people regarding their children?

Jesus, some charmers on this thread - 'let's all look down our noses at poor people'.

You do know it's not just poor people who do the Lottery, don't you?

[LedareAnsley]

Millions could secure my disabled child's future in a way that £59.75 per week Carers Allowance won't. That's all I think about when I spend a couple of quid on the lottery.

[phantomnamechanger]

when I get into the "someone has to win and it might be me" debate with anyone, I ask them if they would use numbers 1-6 every week. They laugh and say no of course not that would be really unlikely to come up. But its the same odds as any other numbers. Similarly, ask if they would use last weeks winning numbers as their choice this week, and they laugh and say don't be silly, as if the same numbers would come up again. People do not understand probabilities, and how FEW big winners there have actually been over the years compared to the many who have never won more than one tenner.

[moggiek]

A couple close to me won a HUGE prize on the EuroMillions lottery, and have spent a great deal of it supporting projects in their local community. Their win has made a big difference to a lot of people.

[LedareAnsley]

That's nice, moggiek.

I would run food bank and a free school for children with ASD I think. No flash cars or holidays.

[peking]

Yes, it was horrible, Heartbrokenmum73. That's what happened. Granted, of course not all scratchcard buyers are like this but they were on my estate. In that particular shop. And I hate that it was such an irresistible short-term draw for them.

[Heartbrokenmum73]

I was referring more to your comment about the dirty clothes and head lice, actually, as if only poor children have these things.

Not very nice.

[Bogeyface]

I am, according to all available information, poor. Working poor, but still poor.

My children do not have dirty clothes although yes, occasionally we do get the nits.

I spend a couple of quid a week on the lottery because, well why not? It could be me, it probably wont, but it could be. No one forces anyone to play, and of course those with the least will play the most as it would change their lives the most.

Would £73 make any kind of difference to your life? Well it has to mine, I won that last night on my one line and it means a nice treat this weekend for the kids, which has been out of the question for the last year thanks to redundancy and a NMW job.

[yarn33]

I often wonder if the lottery would be as popular if they changed it from being 6 numbers under 50 to being 1 number between 1 and 14,000,000. You'd have the same chance of winning but the big numbers involved would help people understand the actual probabilities involved. I once tried the "I am thinking of a number between 1 and 14,000,000, try to guess" approach on a relative who wastes inordinate amounts of money on the lottery but he wasn't interested in hearing it.