Do you ever play the lottery?

[BrilliantBetty]

My DH thinks I am an idiot for spending about £5 on the lottery yesterday. It was the first time I have played in years.

Just a bit of fun, really.

He thinks it's a complete waste of money that would have been better spent on just about anything else.

Ah. What is my AIBU.
AIBU to occasionally 'waste' a fiver.

Yes I do - regularly. It's not more than I can afford but I can see the argument it's a waste.

I think of it as giving money to charity because half of what you spend goes to (so called) good causes. It makes more sense to piss away a few quid on the lottery than giving money directly to charity, at least with the lottery you might actually get something in return whereas money you give directly to charity is literally wasted in many cases.

Personally I’d rather spend a fiver on a glass of wine (or half a glass of wine given London prices) and know I will definitely get something back for my money than take the absolute minute chance of winning

The other thing is, if you don't spend it on the lottery you'll only spend it on something else. Is it better to spend a tenner a week on the lottery or an extra tenner on booze? Your liver might say lottery all the way.

YANBU, you’re an adult woman and can spend your money on whatever you want (within reason )

I’m too tight to spend money on the lottery. I can buy so much for a fiver at my local market it’s unreal, so that always colours my views.

Plus the odds used to be 14m to 1, and now they’re 45m to 1. That annoys me.

We used to play every week before Covid. Haven’t bothered since first lockdown.

I play and it's a complete waste of money! I often berate myself thinking if I saved 5 a week instead of playing the lottery I'd have 260 at the end of the year to spend on Christmas!

You can spend your money how you want, as long as you're covering the needs and no debts etc. You are more likely to be hit by lightning though

I play every week. I generally get small wins but quite often. I usually win back about what I put on when I add it up over the year.
I don't miss the money I spend on it. I still have disposable income left after I buy my tickets too so it's not a case either lottery or wine lol.
I really enjoy the daydream of my big win. What I'll do, who I'll help with the winnings. Also as others said, probably gets to charity as much as putting a couple of quid in a collection bucket does.

I don’t often but sometimes when the euromillions is a really silly amount (£80m) I give it a whirl just for fun. Occasionally win a fiver here or there so it may even out in the middle!!

Also I sometimes play Set for Life, because that would be nice wouldn’t it?

The other thing is, if you don't spend it on the lottery you'll only spend it on something else. Is it better to spend a tenner a week on the lottery or an extra tenner on booze?

That, it has to be said, is the attitude of someone who will never be financially comfortable.

I don't play the National Lottery but do play The Irish Lottery which gives much much lower amounts to win but for £3 per week (not every week) I can have 6 lines of 3 numbers at 25p per line.
I have favourite numbers every time and win on a quite regular basis,last year and the year before I saved all my wins to pay for my holiday with my daughter to Majorca (cancelled twice)its cost more for a coffee at Costa.

I do. It probably is a waste of money, but it gives you that little bit of “what if?” Which is nice

It also does partly go to good causes, so you can think of it as a donation too

That, it has to be said, is the attitude of someone who will never be financially comfortable.

Right - thanks for that. We might not have realised

@abigailsnan - which site do you play the irish lottery from?

If you consider the act of gambling with the likely risk of losing, and the less likely chance of winning to be part of the fun then you have ‘bought’ £5s worth of anticipation

As mentioned earlier the lottery funds charities etc so part of your £5 is a donation

When the National lottery began I had a couple of occasional goes, and with a basic win I was in credit. In some jobs I’ve been on the syndicate, which has nothing to be overly excited about but every now and again a win would make it free for a few weeks
I now have a weekly set on the Euro millions, with about £10 at a time going in on direct debit and I’ve had a few payouts
I’ve also done the MoD lottery for years at £10 a month, that supports the DSRA (Defence sports & recreational association) - so I’ve ‘wasted’ £120 per year, and didn’t get any ‘excitement’ of checking numbers each week - but a couple of years ago I won top prize £10000
It’s only money that I’m willing to give away

It’s your £5
As long as you don’t get dragged into a spiral of gambling and realise that the money is spent, so you’re spending what you are willing to spend then it’s just a bit of fun, with money going to good causes and the occasional win if you play regularly plus the slim chance of winning a bigger amount

(‘It’s only money that I’m willing to give away’ refers to the amount I’m spending on entries ….. not the winnings!)

The winnings went - new car, random stuff, some put aside ….

The chances of winning the jackpot are literally millions to one (more chance of dying in a given week than actually winning etc.)

As a form of gambling, it is terrible in terms of risk Vs rewards.

But... they are not really "selling" gambling. They are selling dreams of a life style change, with a nod to feeling good about it by supporting "good causes". Of course... it IS still just gambling, and all the problems that brings, but they do not aim it as such.

And yes - despite the chance of winning being so low, if there is a high value roll-over, I do play. Just because I understand probabilities, I am still vulnerable to the "Yes... but..." argument with myself :-)

I only ever play when the jackpot is a multi rollover and about £179 million. Because winning in a normal week, when the jackpot is only £4 million, just isn’t worth the bother, natch. There’s logic for you.

I always think of it as £2.50/£5 well spent for the half an hour or so of enjoyment I get thinking about how I’d spend it and Googling for the most expensive piece of furniture I could buy on the face of the earth.

I'll play it occasionally if I have a spare couple of quid in my purse because the worst that's going to happen is that I lose £2.

Nope. Chances of winning are so slim I think it's a waste of money.

I played Euromillions a few times recently, till I actually looked at how shite the prizes are. Unless you match all 7 numbers, which is virtually impossible, chances are you'll get sod all!

Plus the odds used to be 14m to 1, and now they’re 45m to 1. That annoys me.

If the jackpot is more than £90m (£2 ticket price x 45m) and you choose numbers which no one else will choose (so you don't have to share) then in probability terms you're getting a good deal! You're paying less than you should for your chance of winning. Then you can give your darling husband two fingers.

(For numbers unlikely to be chosen by anyone else, pick numbers above 31 to avoid birthdays (popular) and go for a consecutive sequence because most people think it looks so unlikely to win that this somehow influences the ping-pong balls. Eg 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43.)

[quote leafygarden42]@abigailsnan - which site do you play the irish lottery from?[/quote]
I go into my local BetFred or Ladbrokes for the tickets do them most Saturday's they do a draw on Wednesday also but I don't do that one.

Not regularly but I do buy a line on the Euromillions when it rolls over to something stupid, like £120 million. Clearly I’m only bothered about being super rich