Why the Lottery is fantastic

But say what you like about the British, their lottery is a stroke of genius. Take money from the stupid and the gullible and give it to the cultural elite! Utter and complete brilliance!

Random example of use, taken from Helen Fielding's original The Diary of Bridget Jones column, The Independent, 2nd May 1995:

[talking about buying a Lottery scratchcard]

"It was a bit off-putting when I bought the first Instant after the Churchill news, but I suppose it is a bit like smoking and cancer - you never think it will happen to you.
My pounds are the ones that go to disadvantaged children and not to smug Winston double Junior or the latest folly dreamt up by a bunch of snobs smirking about a tax on the stupid."

Hard luck if you thought of it yourself.

It's unrequited love of money and as such has my sympathy, sort of.

Anyway, I wasn't suggesting Helen Fielding made it up (it's pretty obvious from the context that she didn't) - just that it had been around for years and wasn't a very interesting thing to hear more than once. I am quite prepared to accept that you invented it yourself in 1983, Kate, and thus have the special right to go on using it till the day you die.

Hang around a lotto outlet and just have a good look at the people who play the lotteries and instant-win tickets. Don't you wanna be part of that wicked cool scene?

I know it's dumb, but every time I see one of those signs showing $24 million or something, I think, "hmmm... maybe just maybe I should buy a ticket one of these days... It will solve so many problems..."

was wondering if lottery playing increases or decreases during hard times. guess it's not so surprising to find out it's the former
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/us/13lottery.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55154525

It's a sign!

"These numbers may be unexpected, but we see many players opt to play these sequences."

I've never done them numbers in my life. I wonder if it is an inside job. I remember in the 90's the ground staff at one of the greyhound tracks left the outside of the track all slow and rough and made the surface of the inner fast so 9 out the 12 races were all won by the dogs running from trap 1. And lo behold there were lots of suspiciously high staked multiple bets featuring all the trap 1 dogs.

Gotta use a straight sequence of numbers if you wanna rig the lottery how else would ppl know

well lol yeah there is that, but maybe just for the lols

if you are ever in queue and someone bwhind says psst I've got a tip on tonight's lotto numbers..