Have you looked at your odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot lately? Your odds are close to 1 in 175 million. You’d have a better chance of getting hit by lightning while juggling cornstalks in a crowded mall in Eastern Europe. I’d say your chances would be at least 1 in 100 million in that case. We should be betting on that stuff instead.
All silliness aside, what drives humanity to this delusional wishful thinking? “Everyone gets lucky. Why not me?” is not good enough. Is it greed? Mental problems? Dependence?
The most likely answer is that every hates working and would like to enjoy the good life for once.
But let’s go further than that.
- It’s a Cheap Form of Gambling
This, of course, all depends on who is playing lottery. You already know that there are people out there dropping entire paychecks when Mega Millions rolls around. And isn’t it funny how Mega Millions drawings are on Friday? Because when do people normally get paid? Ah, it all makes sense now!
But still, it’s a cheap form of gambling that has the potential to turn several dollars into several millions of dollars. This is what drives people to 7-11 on Friday. Hey, I’ll admit that I do play Mega Millions as well. And do you know why? Because my five bucks could set me up for life. That’s why.
- It’s Fun?
I suppose the thrill of playing scratch-off tickets is way up there, and I’ll also say that looking at your numbers show up in a jackpot drawing is super exciting. Not really. This is all very mundane. Like any sport or activity in life, it’s only fun if you win. Most of the time, people magically turn 10 bucks into zero bucks.
- It’s Convenient
This is also true. Lots of people in this world are incredibly lazy. If playing any form of lottery meant putting in a little bit of effort, nobody would play. But all you need to do is hand a few bucks to a cashier and you’re on your way to earning millions in minutes.
As you can see, there aren’t really any valid reasons to play the lottery. You often lose more than you gain. And if you happen to win, pigs are probably flying.
Have a happy lottery!