 Well, the Mega Millions Jackpot is up to $280 million. This will draw more suckers into what has been called a "tax on the stupid". That sounds harsh, but take a look at how Lotto's odds break down: 1 in 18 million--compared to 1 in 135 million for Mega Millions. And yet, even in regular Lotto, you'd have to buy 50 tickets a week for 5,000 years to hit the jackpot. Here some odds of other events:
- Dying from flesh-eating bacteria (1 in 1 million)
- Dying of cancer from eating a peanut butter sandwich a day for life (1 in 5,000) (9)
- If you drive 10 miles to buy that regular Lotto ticket, you are three times more likely to die from a car accident than win. One can only imagine the danger you face trying to win Mega Millions!
You're much better off playing blackjack.
In addition to predatory marketing to the poorest citizens, I blame the appallingly bad way we teach math, probability and science in this country--as if these subjects have nothing to do with us once we leave the classroom. Frankly, I'm sure I'd be extremely upset at the amount of math and science teachers who play lotto themselves.
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