I was just thinking about starting a lottery topic, and I did a search and seen this already exists.

Maybe add a poll, about how many times a year you play the lottery, with choices something like never, everyday, a couple times a week, etc.

Anyway, years ago I did pretty good with lotto south, 4 numbers a few times a year, paying 70 bucks a pop, so I was always playing free and sometimes making a little profit.

Then they did away with that and started the Mega Millions, and I played that for too long, never had any luck.

For a long time now all I play is one cash for life ticket, on average the 2 times a week I am at the store anyway for other things.

That ticket hit 10 bucks tonight, and it was fun knowing at a quick glance that I had won something.

A while back I hit it for 100 bucks, so I have been playing for free anyway.

I have never played scratch offs my entire life, except for my 25th? birthday I was bored and went and purchased a whole roll of some black jack game, the roll cost 300, and I only got back around 225, but it was several hours of fun.

I hate being in line at the store behind someone talking about "I want a #3, and a 5, and a 42), and etc.

I just do one cash for life quick pick 2 times a week, and it is ok fun for me, and the odds are a lot better than the high jackpot games.

Someone does eventually win the high jackpots, but the odds are just way too bad, and I don't need that much money anyway.

I would like to hit the 1000 a week for life, or the 1000 a day for life, and in the meantime at least with this game I can win enough to play for free, or maybe even make a tiny profit, while I have fun with it.

A very long time ago I figured out a way to guarantee doubling my money with cash 3. I did it wrong to start with, but I meant I was not going to lose money, so in the end I was just playing it to break even, and I kept up with it, and when I finally hit, I had spent 1250 and I had 3 500 tickets to get me to 1500, and I was done with that.

If you do it right, cash 3 is the easiest way to double your money guaranteed. BUT, all the extra trips to the store is not worth it to me. That got to be a chore, and I only want to play a little and have fun checking my #.

That is another kind of lottery, and can be very stressful.

Cash for life is also $2, and I hate that, but the odds are a lot better that you can at least pretty much break even, while having fun, and a chance at a jackpot.

I care less if power or mega ever goes to 5 trillion, odds are way too bad, a total waste of money.

I recently read a story about a guy that owned 2 gas stations, and he lost them, and his house, after he became addicted to playing the lottery.

It was super easy for him, because he had all of those scratch off tickets just sitting right there in his store.

And sometimes he would win 50 grand, but he would play all of it back and lose loads more.

That story also talked about how the lottery does not have to have the truth in advertising stuff like most other businesses would, and they can say all that "today could be your day".

It is a shame that through the years the lottery people have added more numbers, and made the odds go up a whole lot more, just to entice people to play more for all of these higher jackpots.

And local news does not help at all, they show people all of the time waiting in long lines and spending a whole lot of money, like I have seen one dude buying 1300.00 worth of tickets on the news, and that is messed up.

I still buy a Cash For Life ticket 2-3 times a week, and I win enough that I am playing for free.

If I ever notice them adding more numbers to that and making it harder, I will never play any of it again.

I would not even play the lottery at all, but 35 years ago, when there was not much lottery stuff out there, and not in many states, not even in GA yet, someone I knew won a FL lottery for 13 million, and he told me to buy a ticket every now and then, you never know what may happen.

I used to do that, and I did ok, never hit a big one like he did, but won enough that I was playing for free, and it was fun.

And yes, sometimes someone does win a very big lottery, and they say you have a equal chance if you play.

HELL NO!

The odds are way too bad!

Way better to waste money on that playing games with better odds that pay out less, IMO. (I stay pretty much even anyway, while having fun with it).

I had never bought a scratch off ticket in around 30 years for myself.

My girlfriend loves that stuff, so for Christmas I surprised her with 4 $5.00 tickets.

She won $13, so that was a loss of $7.00, but she had fun, so it was worth it.

(just the smile on her face from now on for birthday or Christmas I will probably keep buying her some scratch offs).

The biggest thing I hate about the lottery stuff is all of the TV commercials talking about "TODAY COULD BE THE DAY"!

I think the lottery should not be spending any money on TV commercials in the first place, and only using the money for schools, so that maybe someday my property taxes may could be lower without so much school tax.

(I do play Cash For Life every now and then, but the odds are better than the other games, and I am still ahead on it, so playing for free pretty much).

I did not know that they were in books of 100 now.

About 25 years ago the one and only time I ever bought a book it was a book of 300 I thought.

I paid 300 and got back around 237. It was fun, but I never messed with it again.

Since my girlfriend loves scratchers, I will have to start remembering these books when her birthday comes around. (And Christmas).

I asked the store while ago, and all the books here are $300.00.

$1.00 tickets 300 per book
$2.00 tickets 150 per book
$3.00 tickets 100 per book
$5.00 tickets 60 per book
Etc.