To think statistically there is no point in buying a lottery ticket.

[LynetteScavo]

I have a friend I've known for 20 years.

A few years ago, a friend of my friend won a large amount of money on the national lottery.

Statistically, it would be unlikely for my friend to have two good friends who won large amounts on the lottery, wouldn't it? Even more unlikely than winning at all?

Chance/luck has no memory

he sister of a friend of mine won the raffle on Euromillions recently. It was the first time she'd ever played. I suppose it can happen to anyone but it's much more likely not to.

Trills you are so right I don't understand statistics.

So, statistically, I'm more likely to win if I buy a ticket?

I suppose it can happen to anyone but it's much more likely not to.

Well, yes; they would lose a shitload of money if it was more likely for someone to win £1million than not on a £2 ticket.

Actually no. The odds are so small id round both to zero. So to a fair few decimal places youre as likely to win if you dont play as if you do!

I have never bought a ticket and most people I mention it to are . i don't know why, I'm sure i'm not the only one.

Ive bought quite a few. As they say it has to be someone and it might be me!
;)

I've read the statistics in the past but only seen it in practice this week.

I got stuck behind a man in the post office who had a stack of 55 lottery tickets that he was getting checked for prizes. Having spent upwards of £55.00 his total winnings were:

£7.50 - sad or what!?

I got stuck behind a man in the post office who had a stack of 55 lottery tickets that he was getting checked for prizes.

Could be a work syndicate.

Yes but the return of 7.50 on 55 spent is the same. And that was "lucky"

Well thinking logically, you have a much better chance of winning if you have a ticket.

And they do say 'you have to be in it to win it' which is totally right.

Statistically, my dh shouldn't have had the rare medical condition that gave him a stroke 6 months ago, but he did.

I know the lottery is a tax on the stupid, but you've got to be in it to win it
I'll carry on buying tickets twice a week occasionally.

SGB thanks for the link - I had no idea there was a science topic on MN!

Your chance of winning 5 numbers on the lottery, apparently an average prize of £1,500, is 0.0018%. And it gets a lot worse for the bigger prizes. I'd rather put my money elsewhere :)

Yes but the return of 7.50 on 55 spent is the same. And that was "lucky"

Yes, but I don't think anyone's claiming that buying a lottery ticket is a sound financial investment.

And if it was 55 people each contributing a quid, the ROI is the same, true, but it's still one quarter of fuck all.

lotteries it definitely used to be worth playing newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/07/how-mit-students-scammed-the-massachusetts-lottery-for-8-million/

I heart MIT a lot for working this out!

Bugger link fail!

here

What I was trying to say was that it definitely used to be worth playing some lotteries, although they've closed those loopholes now apparently.

YANBU. Probability of winning a significant amount on the lottery is so close to zero that you have essentially the same chance of winning as when you don't buy a ticket.

Think we're saying the aame wm. Same return on initial amount no matter whi paid for it