No, I would need more info than I have to do all that analysis. Since they went to basically 200,000,000 possible draws and $2 tickets there has only been one split jackpot in the last 5-10 over $400,000,000 jackpots.
My assumption is that the duplicate entries come out of the pick your own numbers entries. I also assume they do not sell duplicates on the quick pick until they have sold all the entries once. I think a quick pick can be sold on top of a self pick.
I don’t think these are safe assumptions
I’m pretty sure that’s false. I think the quick picks are truly random.
That’s a generous plinko board.
The state lotteries use RAND() to generate them
I think lotteries should be demonopolized. It’s a great mechanism to encourage low wealth people to save (see Freakonomics podcasts, IIRC), but banks can’t offer that mechanism because states give themselves a monopoly and then can charge whatever load results in the most profit.
I generally do not play the lottery. Even if the jackpot gets really high, I just think to myself “If I didn’t play at 100M, why would I play 500M?” There are a few occasions in my life where I did play. I think like twice I joined some pool, it was fun to see people excitedly talking about it around the office. Occasionally I’ll get some scratch off tickets around the holidays as a gift, I think I won $15 this year but I don’t remember cashing the ticket, I must’ve left it with my parents!
That said I do enjoy gambling once in a while elsewhere. Sports, poker, table games are all fun.
I will play a little bit of poker amongst friends. At least then if I get cleaned out it’s someone I’m hanging out with who won the money. Even there though I’m pretty risk averse to gambling much money.
House games are a ton of fun. I had a semi-regular game going for a while and it was a blast talking strategy over time while also being able to relax and enjoy pizza/beer/music while playing
The lottery is the only gambling I do that is for “fun.”
I am way too serious about my other gambling. I think of it more like investing than gambling and expect a return for my money.
I don’t gamble much any more. I get a bitter temperament and I don’t ahve the disposable income any more.
Pre-pandemic, I played the lottery.
In my state, you can buy a ticket that’s good for the next 26 draws for the price of 25 tickets. I maintained one set of numbers for Powerball, and one set of numbers for Mega Millions.
Plopping down $50 at one time for a ticket does give you a reason pause and consider your actions. However, I have a good job, and it’s fun to fuel the dream. It also pretty much eliminates any temptation to make special trips or buy extra tickets when the jackpot size rises to notable levels.
It’s also the only recreational gambling I do. I suspect that I am one of the few people who can say that they have been to Vegas and didn’t even put a coin in a slot machine.
Vegas would be lost on me, I think.
If you aren’t gambling what’s there to do? ( If you are over 40, married and have no plans on cheating on your spouse)
I was wondering this too, but I think they’re meant to have good comedy shows?
I went as a kid with a friend’s family and we saw the Hoover Dam, I remember thinking that was really cool.
I was also happy to discover there’s basically an arcade for each casino to occupy the kids.
Yeah, I’m not big on gambling, so Vegas is kind of meh for me. One serious recommendation: the Pinball Hall of Fame, which has opened or will soon open in a new (much larger) facility. They have hundreds of pinball and video games, some going back to the 1920s or so. And you can play them all! We took our son there a few years ago and had an absolute blast. And yes, cheap actuaries, it’s pretty damn cheap.
Yeah, not a fan of Vegas. You can’t escape the pervasive odor of cigarettes, even in your non-smoking hotel room.
That said, my ex loves it and I know at one point he went to a place where you could shoot several fully automatic weapons that he liked. I also think they have a thing where you can rent a Ferrari or a Lamborghini and drive it on a closed course at 200 mph or something like that. I guess that could be kind of fun, and can see that for some people who are more into cars than me it might be a super lot of fun.
And supposedly the shows are pretty good. I wouldn’t mind seeing Cirque du Soleil, for example.
But there are probably at least a thousand places I’d rather go than Vegas.
The next time I’m in Vegas, I am hitting the Pinball Hall of Fame!!!
The only reason I am willing to consider Vegas as a vacation spot now that we no longer have family there. Give me sand, surf, and sun over shiny lights all day every day.
