Euros as bad at math as Americans

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not everyone buying a lottery ticket is "bad at math" expecting to win. I sure as hell don't.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

If I have a buck to spare, I  might buy a lottery ticket, but I'm not expecting to win. Worst case scenario: I'm out of a buck. Not exactly tragic.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

If I have a buck to spare, I  might buy a lottery ticket, but I'm not expecting to win. Worst case scenario: I'm out of a buck. Not exactly tragic.

So, you have money, and you throw it away on something you know will almost certianly yield no value. I'd say that's bad at math. I supported TN getting the lottery a few years back, but have come to change my mind on the subject.

Well if not spent on the lottery ticket it'd most likely end up in a stripper's G-string. Not sure which you'd consider better.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

If I have a buck to spare, I  might buy a lottery ticket, but I'm not expecting to win. Worst case scenario: I'm out of a buck. Not exactly tragic.

So, you have money, and you throw it away on something you know will almost certianly yield no value. I'd say that's bad at math. I supported TN getting the lottery a few years back, but have come to change my mind on the subject.

Well if not spent on the lottery ticket it'd most likely end up in a stripper's G-string. Not sure which you'd consider better.

Not where I would have spent the dollar, but that's irrealavant. It was your dollar. You got what you wanted from it. With the lottery, you get nothing. In short:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5QGkOGZubQ&NR=1

He didn't get anything tangible, no, but I suppose he got some entertainment value out of it at least - lots of people gamble knowing they are probably going to lose, be it lottery, slots, poker, etc. The odds are against you, but there's an element of thrill to it. Seeing as those other methods tend to be much more expensive, a buck for a lotto ticket is rather cheap.

Exactly. I don't get anything tangible from giving it to a stripper either.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Is that dream worth the potential disappointment?

Not unless you expect it to happen.

Please note the average amount of dollars I spend on lottery tickets a year is in the single digits. I agree that people who impulsively buy tons expecting to one day win are bad at math/idiots, but dead0man is jumping to a ridiculous conclusion with the title.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

That's actually a good point. I do at least get my money back in one out of every five or so tickets. I bet in the end overall the total cost of money I've lost to the lottery isn't even worth one lapdance.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The problem with the St. Petersburg paradox is it assumes the source backing the game has infinite money. This can work in a thought experiment, but never in reality, hence it has no basis in reality. If you give a limited amount of money as the prize at hand, the price at which it becomes statistically worth it to enter the game can be calculated.