Lotto

There’s a convenience store attached to the building my office is in, so I tend to stop in for breakfast, lunch, or a snack. Yesterday I noticed that the Mass Millions was up to $150 million or so, so I bought a ticket.

What I find interesting about the lottery is that I know it’s a losing proposition. My odds of winning, by definition, have to be way less than 1 in 150 million. They’re so low that you’re pretty much guaranteed to not win. Basically, you’re throwing your money into a huge pile. A bunch of states will then take half of it out of the pool, and award the pile to someone who’s always in a state you forgot existed.

And yet, if I’m paying $3.50 for some chocolate milk and a croissant, I might as well pay $4.50 instead for a 1:300,000,000 shot at $150 million.

If I win, maybe I can afford a little condo near work. But with Charlestown prices, I’m not too sure about that.

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