On Sat, 14 Aug 1999 01:44:34 -0400, Mark Wagner wrote:
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>Ron Parker wrote in message <37b49064@news.povray.org>...
>>Oh, I don't dispute that.  In fact, before I ever bought a lottery ticket
>>I was a winner because someone had given me a winning lottery ticket in
>>place of a bow on top of a Christmas gift.  But I also win the lottery
>>every time I don't play, and that's a sure thing.  I like those odds
>>better. :)
>
>Actually, the odds are even better when the jackpot (after taxes) is greater
>than the odds of winning times the cost of a ticket.  If you only buy
>tickets when this is the case, then over the (very) long run, it is possible
>to make a profit off of playing the lottery.

Only if you can guarantee that no one else will have the winning combination.
Unfortunately, since the number of tickets sold goes up when the jackpot does,
this is far from a sure thing.

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