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Totally agree. Calling the game a ripoff is unfair. Ripoff is a deception, yet Powerball is completely honest about its mechanism. Participants understand tha

Totally agree. Calling the game a ripoff is unfair. Ripoff is a deception, yet Powerball is completely honest about its mechanism. Participants understand that they are playing a game with a low chance of winning, but they do get a lot of value out of the ticket. Otherwise, with so much information available, why would they play? If we worry about participants not being able to "understand" these sorts of large odds, we might be better off worrying over much graver yet common situations. Do we understand the price of not paying attention in elementary school math class? The pitfalls of not having various kinds of insurance? Or even driving on the freeway?

ahallock 11y ago
> Participants understand that they are playing a game with a low chance of winning I see poor people lined up at my local convenient store, spending considerable amounts of their money on scratch offs and lottery tickets. They actually don't understand or are addicted, and the gov doesn't care, so long as they're getting money out of it. Who's going to regulate the regulators? It's not like the State limits how many you can buy.
- icebraining 11y ago
  Why do you say they either don't understand or are addicted? Have you asked them, or are you just assuming that there's no possible alternative? And are you sure that the money would be better spent if it couldn't be spent on lottery tickets?
  - ahallock 11y ago
    I'm pointing out the hypocrisy in government, how they crack down on illegal gambling because of its vice, yet exploit the poor with State endorsed gambling. What are the alternatives? I'm sure they enjoy it, but that's part of addiction -- not being able to delay pleasure in the present for future rewards. They could save their money, buy new clothes, get some dental work done, etc. I'm not saying we force them or that we should deny people ostensibly-wasteful pleasures--a drink is fine every now and then, but when someone goes over the edge into full-blown alcoholism, I think society should extend a helping hand.
- Lawtonfogle 11y ago
  Are we assuming we should care? Yes, the behavior is not in their best interest by the metrics we use, but if they are adults who are fully consenting to the transaction, and they are not be lied to, should the government care? If the government should stay out of the bedroom of consenting adults, why not stay out of their wallets as well?
  - ahallock 11y ago
    I agree, but the government is already in our wallets via taxes used for social programs to help the poor. I happen to disagree with these programs, but here we are. We abdicate to the State with the idea that they're going to help the poor, not take advantage of them. Lottery tickets exploit the poor, so I'm left with the notion that the State is more concerned with its bottom line than helping the poor.
  - Vraxx 11y ago
    That's all good in theory, but then what do we do when we have people suffering because they spent all their resources on this ridiculous "game"? I'll tell you right now the answer won't end up being "let them wallow in the steets". It ends up just being wildly inefficient. If we care enough to help these people after they are down on their luck, metaphorically and literally, then we should just cut out the middle man and stop having it as an option to waste money on. Alternatively we could stop changing the lottery so it's less efficient at extracting money from people and is closer to a random chance wealth redistribution.

ahallock 11y ago

> Participants understand that they are playing a game with a low chance of winning I see poor people lined up at my local convenient store, spending considerable amounts of their money on scratch offs and lottery tickets. They actually don't understand or are addicted, and the gov doesn't care, so long as they're getting money out of it. Who's going to regulate the regulators? It's not like the State limits how many you can buy.

icebraining 11y ago
Why do you say they either don't understand or are addicted? Have you asked them, or are you just assuming that there's no possible alternative? And are you sure that the money would be better spent if it couldn't be spent on lottery tickets?
- ahallock 11y ago
  I'm pointing out the hypocrisy in government, how they crack down on illegal gambling because of its vice, yet exploit the poor with State endorsed gambling. What are the alternatives? I'm sure they enjoy it, but that's part of addiction -- not being able to delay pleasure in the present for future rewards. They could save their money, buy new clothes, get some dental work done, etc. I'm not saying we force them or that we should deny people ostensibly-wasteful pleasures--a drink is fine every now and then, but when someone goes over the edge into full-blown alcoholism, I think society should extend a helping hand.
Lawtonfogle 11y ago
Are we assuming we should care? Yes, the behavior is not in their best interest by the metrics we use, but if they are adults who are fully consenting to the transaction, and they are not be lied to, should the government care? If the government should stay out of the bedroom of consenting adults, why not stay out of their wallets as well?
- ahallock 11y ago
  I agree, but the government is already in our wallets via taxes used for social programs to help the poor. I happen to disagree with these programs, but here we are. We abdicate to the State with the idea that they're going to help the poor, not take advantage of them. Lottery tickets exploit the poor, so I'm left with the notion that the State is more concerned with its bottom line than helping the poor.
- Vraxx 11y ago
  That's all good in theory, but then what do we do when we have people suffering because they spent all their resources on this ridiculous "game"? I'll tell you right now the answer won't end up being "let them wallow in the steets". It ends up just being wildly inefficient. If we care enough to help these people after they are down on their luck, metaphorically and literally, then we should just cut out the middle man and stop having it as an option to waste money on. Alternatively we could stop changing the lottery so it's less efficient at extracting money from people and is closer to a random chance wealth redistribution.