To start playing the lottery?

[pedropony76]

This may seem like a silly question but I thought I’d get some advice from level headed MNetters before I go throwing money away!

Do you or have you ever played the lottery? Have you ever won anything? Recently I’ve been thinking that it can’t hurt to start playing the lottery and chance my luck but I also don’t want to waste money. I’m just so fed up of constantly being broke so what’s £2.50 here and there for the odd ticket?!

What’s everyone’s thoughts/experience playing the lottery?

You could make a meal with £2.50, so i personally think it’s a waste.

Mmm. For £2.50 I can buy my daughters porridge for that price. On the flip side though, I’m never going to win any money if I don’t at least try!

If you put £2.50 a week into a tin, after a year you will have £130.

If you play the lottery once a week for a year there's a very high chance that at the end of that year you will just have a moderately large pile of used lottery tickets and no money.

If I’d played the lottery since I was 18, at a ticket a week, I would have lost £2,500 by now.

I know because I’ve entered my numbers into the website and they have never come up together.

This exactly. Played weekly for years, once won 7.50.

Waste of money.

I’ve played weekly for a couple of years. Won around £500 in drips and drabs. One day I’m going to win big!

I don’t play the lottery because I’m lazy hahaha but I would like to start. A bit of pocket change for the excitement and hope of winning ? I’m in!!

Also, if you look at the prize breakdown, only the jackpot is "worth it", the rest of the prizes are comparatively shite. They lure you in with a big jackpot and the second tier is nowhere near the £170mill yesterday's was (can't look it up right now). And imagine being 1 number away, so near but yet so far!

It depends.

If you are that skint that spending £2.50 is going to be noticeable or mean you will struggle elsewhere it's not a good idea.

If you aren't, and you're sure that you can just buy a weekly ticket or play a little here and there, crack on.

I've done the same and bought a euromillions ticket today. At least the money also goes to good causes, so it's partly charitable 😁

Used to. Stopped bothering during first lockdown. Also I was a member of a syndicate at work of 15 people. Never won anything significant.

I've played on and off for years, and am also part of a syndicate, and have had small wins but nothing substantial. However, I used to work with some people who won about £50k each as part of a syndicate, and another person who one £4.5million, so it is possible. You've got to be in it to win it as they say...

I meant to add this syndicate was for 10 years. When it disbanded we each got £70 back.

I play once a week with a direct debit for a lucky dip, so I don’t notice the £10 from the account and I don’t get obsessed about ‘my’ numbers. In the last year I’ve won more than I’ve spent on tickets.

Have played on and off. Never won more than a fiver
One day I put about 25 quids worth on various different games didn't win anything so that made me feel even worse 😂

It’s a waste of money. The rule with gambling is only bet money you are happy to lose. On the NL app it gives a breakdown of prizes, the chances of winning more than you put in are minuscule.

You’re probably better putting money into Premium Bonds, still unlikely you’ll win big, but at least your loses are only inflation linked.

It depends why you're playing.
I buy a lottery ticket sometimes, and when I do I want to get the best value for my money out of it. For this reason I hold on to the ticket for as long as I can before checking it. While I have the 'live' ticket in my pocket, I can have all the fantasies about what I'd do with the money, where I'd travel to etc. Once I've checked the ticket, and let's face it, you're not going to win, those dreams are over. So, overall, I think £2.50 is quite good value to fill my head with dreams for a while 😊

Ahhh so many smart responses!

When I put my mum hat on I think ‘mmm if I do a few tickets costing £5 a week by direct debit. That’s £20 a month and £240 a year!’ But then I think, ‘well I spend £20 on a takeaway so really it’s just like for like.’

I’m not even wanting to win something big, I’ll be satisfied with something over 5K😂

@TeddyisMydog why is this me😂 I can see myself getting carried away. Next thing I’ve spent £50 and won fuck all. I hate the games already and I’ve never even played one! It’ll definitely suck me in

Just don’t look at the odds. It’s in the hundreds of millions to one for the euro jackpot.

Admittedly I buy it every other week or so. Not sure why

When we were playing once a week we’d go weeks without checking tickets. Then we’d have about 10 to check and it was soul destroying when we’d checked them all and won sod all.

For those that have mentioned a syndicate. What is that?

People pay in more to the lottery than they ever get back, so it makes no sense to play. The chances of winning big are minute.

Either try to reduce spending or increase income. Even if you only make an extra tenner a week, you could save it in a jar and have 520 pounds saved for Christmas every year.

It’s when a group of people pool money to buy tickets or play lines, on the basis that big wins are shared.

Ahh right @CounsellorTroi thank you for that.

So when you said you got £70 back when it disbanded, what does that mean? Does that mean that people no longer wanted to put money in or something

Definitely save it. I put it on now and then as I like to dream but I wouldn't do it regularly.