4 ms·

Sports betting is nothing compared to the massive, state-sponsored gambling enterprise in scratch tickets and lotto. Biggest scam of all time.

bill_joy_fanboy 1y ago
Not a lotto fan, but, in theory, the money collected by state lotteries goes to some sort of public good (scholarships, etc.). Don't get me wrong, I still see them as destructive, but they don't operate with the same intent. These new sports books are operating purely to enrich the owners of the platform. Ban 'em.
- VWWHFSfQ 1y ago
  Only poor people buy lottery tickets. These are the people getting their money from government welfare anyway. It's a terrible cycle.
  - LocalH 1y ago
    There's also a difference between people who buy lottery tickets religiously, and who buy them once in a while. I like to play once in a while when the jackpots are high, just in case. Unfortunately, the answer to it is really hard, like most issues society faces today.
    - OptionOfT 1y ago
      Yet statistically speaking you're better off buying a ticket when the amounts are low.
      - LocalH 1y ago
        Probably. But, it's more enticing when the amounts are high, and the amount I (and my partner) spend on it is minimal.
      - toast0 1y ago
        I don't think that's the case. Most of the expected value comes from the jackpot, and even if a large jackpot means you should expect to share with 1 or 2 other winners, but the large jackpots are easily more than 3x the small ones.
    - dendrite9 1y ago
      Yeah I occasionally will buy a ticket or two. Not often, but sometimes on a whim I get them. I figure it is probably a slightly healthier version of buying the king size kitkat or snickers in the checkout line. The cost is the same, the satisfaction is just as transient, and I'm not jamming a bunch of sugar in my face. I've been in an online community where some users do a group buy for certain lottos when the prize is big enough. Sending $2 by paypal/venmo is easier and lower friction that going to one of the stores near me where I can but a ticket myself. I still think it's kinda dumb, but I do plenty of dumb things and I buy one infrequently enough to be ok with it.
  - jjani 1y ago
    If true, that's definitely a US localized thing. The places I've lived in the big winners in the big lotteries are disproportionately often middle class compared to what you'd expect if the large majority of buyers were poor.
- AdieuToLogic 1y ago
  > Not a lotto fan, but, in theory, the money collected by state lotteries goes to some sort of public good (scholarships, etc.). Problem is, state funding for those public concerns are often reduced by the same (or more) amount lottery revenue generates. For example, Florida pitched their state lottery as funding education (amongst other "who could be against this?" programs), yet failed to inform voters that existing funding would ultimately be reduced in a compensatory fashion.
achierius 1y ago
Nothing? At least you can't play lotto in your pocket.
- hattmall 1y ago
  You definitely can. Many states have lottery apps and "scratch off" games.
insane_dreamer 1y ago
At least they fund the State Park System (in my state as least) -- so much less of a scam than sports betting that funds ... nothing

bill_joy_fanboy 1y ago

Not a lotto fan, but, in theory, the money collected by state lotteries goes to some sort of public good (scholarships, etc.). Don't get me wrong, I still see them as destructive, but they don't operate with the same intent. These new sports books are operating purely to enrich the owners of the platform. Ban 'em.

VWWHFSfQ 1y ago
Only poor people buy lottery tickets. These are the people getting their money from government welfare anyway. It's a terrible cycle.
- LocalH 1y ago
  There's also a difference between people who buy lottery tickets religiously, and who buy them once in a while. I like to play once in a while when the jackpots are high, just in case. Unfortunately, the answer to it is really hard, like most issues society faces today.
  - OptionOfT 1y ago
    Yet statistically speaking you're better off buying a ticket when the amounts are low.
    - LocalH 1y ago
      Probably. But, it's more enticing when the amounts are high, and the amount I (and my partner) spend on it is minimal.
    - toast0 1y ago
      I don't think that's the case. Most of the expected value comes from the jackpot, and even if a large jackpot means you should expect to share with 1 or 2 other winners, but the large jackpots are easily more than 3x the small ones.
  - dendrite9 1y ago
    Yeah I occasionally will buy a ticket or two. Not often, but sometimes on a whim I get them. I figure it is probably a slightly healthier version of buying the king size kitkat or snickers in the checkout line. The cost is the same, the satisfaction is just as transient, and I'm not jamming a bunch of sugar in my face. I've been in an online community where some users do a group buy for certain lottos when the prize is big enough. Sending $2 by paypal/venmo is easier and lower friction that going to one of the stores near me where I can but a ticket myself. I still think it's kinda dumb, but I do plenty of dumb things and I buy one infrequently enough to be ok with it.
- jjani 1y ago
  If true, that's definitely a US localized thing. The places I've lived in the big winners in the big lotteries are disproportionately often middle class compared to what you'd expect if the large majority of buyers were poor.
AdieuToLogic 1y ago
> Not a lotto fan, but, in theory, the money collected by state lotteries goes to some sort of public good (scholarships, etc.). Problem is, state funding for those public concerns are often reduced by the same (or more) amount lottery revenue generates. For example, Florida pitched their state lottery as funding education (amongst other "who could be against this?" programs), yet failed to inform voters that existing funding would ultimately be reduced in a compensatory fashion.

achierius 1y ago

Nothing? At least you can't play lotto in your pocket.

hattmall 1y ago
You definitely can. Many states have lottery apps and "scratch off" games.

insane_dreamer 1y ago

At least they fund the State Park System (in my state as least) -- so much less of a scam than sports betting that funds ... nothing