Powerball anyone?

[TedH]

I rarely buy lotto tickets, but will occasionally donate 5 or 10 bucks to the lottery. This morning on the way to work, I was listening to the radio and heard that this weekends jackpot was going to be a new record, nearing 800 Million. Still wasn't too interested in buying tickets, but later in the morning I was driving again and listening to a local radio station and they were doing a contest giveaway of some powerball tickets if you could call in with the correct answer to their quiz question. I listened for a bit and no one was getting the right answer. Finally after probably a couple dozen callers got it wrong, I pulled over in a gas station and started calling. Got a busy signal 28 times. On call 29 I got through and answered correctly and got the Powerball tickets!

Hope that's a sign of good things to come!

[mohavesam]

Nobody wins. (except the lottery contractor!)

I also continue to believe that because a donation to Parks, Recreation and schools is tax-deductible - but a lottery ticket, which by law, goes straight to Parks, Recreation, and Schools in this state, is not; is a big problem.

Does anyone know who audits (and how often) the lottery systems and contractors in YOUR state?

I used to work for a pretty wealthy guy who boxed number sets regularly to the tune of $40-50K per big lottery. He regularly lost it all and never won more than $1M even though he only played $100M jackpots and above.
- But I did win four bucks last week!

[Booger Bill]

I am a somewhat reformed gambler. Years ago I think I worked to gamble. When I retired I had to quit. Still might go two or three times a year to eat and get rid of $200s. Utah where I live, and Nevada are two of the four states that doesn't have the lotto. If I had the chance I would buy at least one ticket just so I could dream for a day or two. You cant win if you don't play. In my case I would be scared if I won. I think I would drop dead on the spot!

[yooper2]

The gal and I will buy a lotto ticket once a month or so. Worth the buck to daydream about how much land we could have to have to ourselves.


Eric

[Ray Newman]

"Nobody wins. (except the lottery contractor!)"
--MohaveSam

You forget the Federal and in some cases, the State tax collection agencies.

[Blaine]

"Nobody wins. (except the lottery contractor!)"
--MohaveSam

You forget the Federal and in some cases, the State tax collection agencies.

For half of 800,000,000 I'd share willingly.

[TedH]

Now they are expecting it to hit 1 Billion, yes, BILLION dollars by tomorrow night's drawing!

[.45colt]

I play a few bucks, never know. A 50 something lady who works in My store won a 1/4 million in the lotto a few years ago. She quietly comes to work but can retire whenever She wants.

[Griff]

I have the LQ horse trailer, boat & property improvements all picked out; then find a really good campaign manager, so I can really loot and pillage! All I have to do is buy one ticket!

[gundownunder]

1 billion dollars?
Heck over here we get excited when the jackpot hits 20 million.

[Booger Bill]

After I retired the wife and I was thinking of building on a patch of land I had on a mountain side 50 miles north of Reno. She said no, it was too close to gambling for you. I said okay, lets go another 60 miles north and look at Susanville. We found a Realtor and she said I have just the thing for you. Follow me.
She pulled up to a house across the road from the Indian Casino parking lot!

[jeepnik]

It's worth a couple of bucks to buy a ticket.

I just heard a mathematician on the news radio. He states the odds are 292,000,000 to one. And you have as much chance with buying one ticket as one hundred. So I gave them two bucks. As stated above pretty cheap for a dream. Heck, you can't buy a cup of coffee for that anymore.

I take that back, one place Phillip's in L.A. has coffee for a dime, free refills. Oh, as some of the best food anywhere. They've got a French dip that is absolutely unbelievable.

[Chuck 100 yd]

The chance of winning is 50/50 . Either you win or you don't !

[TWHBC]

Iowa appears to have had some issues with a winner who is associated with the lottery, and it is being investigated to see if it affects other states!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/iowa ... y-mystery/

[Lassiter]

they were doing a contest giveaway of some powerball tickets if you could call in with the correct answer to their quiz question. I listened for a bit and no one was getting the right answer. Finally after probably a couple dozen callers got it wrong, I pulled over in a gas station and started calling. Got a busy signal 28 times. On call 29 I got through and answered correctly and got the Powerball tickets!

Hope that's a sign of good things to come!

What was the question??

[FWiedner]

The chance of winning is 50/50 . Either you win or you don't !

I like the way you think.

I heard that you have a better chance of walking down the street and getting bit by a shark than winning.

So... I bought tickets, and my head is on a swivel.

[TedH]

they were doing a contest giveaway of some powerball tickets if you could call in with the correct answer to their quiz question. I listened for a bit and no one was getting the right answer. Finally after probably a couple dozen callers got it wrong, I pulled over in a gas station and started calling. Got a busy signal 28 times. On call 29 I got through and answered correctly and got the Powerball tickets!

Hope that's a sign of good things to come!

What was the question??

43% of married couples do this in their living room. What is it?

[Chuck 100 yd]

Eat dinner/supper ?

[Booger Bill]

Many years ago when the lotto first started I was over to some friends house. Talk came up what they would do if they hit it. Bonnie was going to buy everything under the sun. Frank was going to save most of it. They got arguing hot and heavy about it like they had just won it for real!

[marlinman93]

Remember that old saying? "You can't win, if you don't play?"
Well my old saying is, "You can't lose, if you don't play!"
So far I've never lost in the lottery!!!

[Lassiter]

Eat dinner/supper ?

What Chuck said...............I think

[Booger Bill]

Years ago when I was a Lockheed guard there was a click of guys that pooled their money. Two jokers set up the others. There was a big jackpot and a guy used a exacto knife and pieced together the winning numbers, got about 4 or 5 guys that were in on it and had them high fiveing etc. Then the tallest 6 ft 7"s meanest dude at Lockheed came through the gate and snatched the ticket out of the guys hand as he was shaking it in the air, tore it up and growled, "Cant be. No one ever wins those things!" and never broke stride. A couple of the others that was set up ran after him screaming and wanting to beat him up! It was hilarious.

[Sixgun]

Remember that old saying? "You can't win, if you don't play?"
Well my old saying is, "You can't lose, if you don't play!"
So far I've never lost in the lottery!!!

Ain't that the truth. One thing for sure, buy quality antique guns, hold on to them for a while, and you are guaranteed to win. I'm retiring in 6 months at 62 and Mr. Single Action Colt, (The grandfather..1st.), along with his brothers, Mr. Winchester, Mr. Smith & Wesson, Mr. Marlin, and their sons, the Ruger Flat Tops are making that happen. The Teamsters are playing a minor role too.-------6

[Daisyman]

Remember that old saying? "You can't win, if you don't play?"
Well my old saying is, "You can't lose, if you don't play!"
So far I've never lost in the lottery!!!

I'm with you!! They ain't giving out their money, they're playin' with ours!! I played the Illinois lottery one time before Iowa had theirs. I got FOUR numbers right !!!!!! The payout?? 32 bucks! Been living in the lap of luxury ever since!

[TedH]

Eat dinner/supper ?

What Chuck said...............I think

That was one of dozens of guesses. The answer they were looking for was "They have assigned seats".

[jhrosier]

I was just wondering if a person who won most of a billion dollars could load up some planes with food for the men, women, and children of Syria who are starving to death while the world watches, unwilling to intervene.

Jack

[cas]

I have two ways of looking at it.

One is you're renting a daydream for a dollar or two. Cheap entertainment.

Two, think of it as giving $2 to a stranger. (Who's also getting $2 from several million other people)

[Blaine]

I was just wondering if a person who won most of a billion dollars could load up some planes with food for the men, women, and children of Syria who are starving to death while the world watches, unwilling to intervene.

Jack

Makes you wonder why all the oil billionaires in Saudi Arabia have not done anything....

[marlinman93]

Remember that old saying? "You can't win, if you don't play?"
Well my old saying is, "You can't lose, if you don't play!"
So far I've never lost in the lottery!!!

Ain't that the truth. One thing for sure, buy quality antique guns, hold on to them for a while, and you are guaranteed to win. I'm retiring in 6 months at 62 and Mr. Single Action Colt, (The grandfather..1st.), along with his brothers, Mr. Winchester, Mr. Smith & Wesson, Mr. Marlin, and their sons, the Ruger Flat Tops are making that happen. The Teamsters are playing a minor role too.-------6

Sixgun,
I retired 5 years ago at 60, and did much the same. I had an extensive collection of Marlin lever actions from before WWI, and the plan was to sell many of them after I retired, since social security wasn't going to kick in for two years. I invested a lot of time and money accumulating the collection, but didn't put all my eggs in that basket. I too have a decent IBEW retirement, and invested in IRA's also; just in case!
After retiring, I began parting out some average Marlins, in an attempt to pare things down. Then I got carried away, and began digging deeper into the safes, and selling them all off. I did reinvest much of the funds into more Marlin Ballard, and other single shots, as I still feel they're a great investment. But I moved all but one Marlin lever action out..
I watched a good friend spend $20-$40 a week on the lottery for years while I worked with him. He rarely won, and when he did it was small. I simply chose to put a similar amount into old guns during the same period of time. My investment paid off much better than his did!

[Pete44ru]

.

No Powerball jackpot winner last nite ! ! ! !

It looks like this week's jackpot will be more that 1.2 BILLION dollars ! ! ! !

I'd like the lotteries much better (folks would feel that they have a better chance), if they drew 2-3 or more jackpot winners, once it reached into the mega-millions.



.

[AJMD429]

It would be fun to win a billion dollars, and then give 50 million each to the NRA, GOA, SAF, and JPFO...

...of course the government would take $500,000,000 of the billion, and probably hand it directly to NPR and the ATF...

[Booger Bill]

It is something to dream about from every standpoint. How many of you are old enough to remember a old TV series in the 1950`s called "The Millionaire"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Milli ... _series%29
A tycoon picks out various people and has his gofer give them a million dollars just to see how they handle it and what it does to them. It was a interesting show.
With big money like that every scenario is possible. It can destroy or make a person. It would bring out the best and the worst in everyone.
I ruined a mentally challenged nephew that was/is on the system. I was a serious addicted gambler years ago. For awhile I had him under my wing as my BIL died young and left my sister to raise six kids. Once I took him to Vegas and he won over a thousand on a Keno machine. To this day he will blow his social security disability check every once in awhile.
My ex wife was/is even more addicted than me. I ran into her for one of the few times in about the last 30 years a couple months ago. (Our granddaughter got married.) She had to brag (or lie??) that she was up about $32,000 for the year. I bit my tongue and behaved. Lots of old war story's there.
It would be interesting to see what it does to whoever wins it.

[marlinman93]

It truly IS a no win situation Bill. Winner's lives are ruined, as are loser's lives trying to win. I've read so many horror stories about marriages failing, friendships ending, and families torn apart by someone winning. The old cowboy that hit it big a few years back split with his wife, got addicted to drugs, and is broke today. So many people were pretty happy, and thought the lottery would just make them happier. I'll stick with pretty happy, and not mess it up.

[Booger Bill]

My dad told me of a story of a friend of his, Blackie. This was in the mid 1930`s and dad and Blackie were gamblers/friends. It was a day or two before Christmas Dad and Blackie were sitting in some hotel lobby after a night of poker. Blackie`s wife came in with a couple kids and asked Blackie for money to shop for the kids. Blackie had a bad night and was flat broke. She left him and divorced him.
Things were wild at the end of the war. My uncles all came home from the war and Dad and them still liked to gamble. One of my earliest memory's was a few poker party's with them all together at the table. I recall it got to them betting with guns when the money ran out! I still have one uncle alive at 96. He was a MP at the bulge etc and said he "liberated" a matched set of nickle Colt single action army`s in Germany. He lost them in a poker game on the ship on the way home!

[Booger Bill]

Years ago I was at the horse race track. We were sitting high in the bleachers and looking down. At the end of the race there was a guy down below us that must have had a big win. He held his ticket high in the air and was yelling, I won! I Won! Then I seen this mid age average looking black man run through the crowd and snatch the ticket right out of his hand and keep running! He ran and got lost in the crowd and as far as I know he got away with it!!

[Daisyman]

Years ago I was at the horse race track. We were sitting high in the bleachers and looking down. At the end of the race there was a guy down below us that must have had a big win. He held his ticket high in the air and was yelling, I won! I Won! Then I seen this mid age average looking black man run through the crowd and snatch the ticket right out of his hand and keep running! He ran and got lost in the crowd and as far as I know he got away with it!!

Another reason for concealed carry!!!

[Booger Bill]

I was high up and seen the action. There literally was a sea of people he ran through to grab that ticket, and then he disappeared in a sea of people. Any shot at all would have had to hit a bystander.

[Old Ironsights]

Isn't the current issue that the winner of "$1.3 Billion" actually only got to keep the $.3 - and the rest went to the Feds?