The Lottery Is a Tax on the Stupid & Mathematically Challenged – YAWN!

lottery stupidThis has to be one of the most over-used and unoriginal phrases.

The lottery is a tax on the stupid… or the lottery idiot tax.

Or my personal favorite variation… the lottery is a tax on the mathematically challenged.

Gosh, that’s so desperately witty.

This phrase has been abused by dull, smug people for years. Sadly, they think nobody will notice that they didn’t actually come up with the phrase.

If only there was a tax on the comically challenged. 🙂

For one, I don’t believe for a second that these witty geniuses have never played the lottery themselves. Or other games of chance.

Furthermore, nobody buys a lottery ticket as an investment. We don’t expect it to be worth millions.

Yes, we hope we will win. We dream that we will hit the jackpot.

But we all know it’s very unlikely to happen. But the fact is, it could.

And that’s what we’re buying.

Firstly, we’re buying a little dream time. What would we do with that jackpot money – what would we buy, where would we live, what car would we drive, how would we help out our family and friends.

Secondly, it’s entertainment!

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that, actually, I quite enjoy playing the lottery. Whether I play in a lottery syndicate, or I buy a quick pick ticket at my local shop. It’s fun.

Some big winners carry on buying lottery tickets. They must be really stupid then, right? Or, could it be because they just enjoy playing too..?

And for a dollar, pound or a euro – that’s some very cheap entertainment.

I’ve spent a lot more than that renting movies that entertained me a lot less.

So the lottery is a tax on those who are bad at math? Some players probably don’t fully understand the odds. But does that really make them foolish?

Is it foolish to have a little fun, enjoy a little ‘what if’ dreaming time with your friends or work colleagues?

For less than half the price of a cappucino?

I think not.

And what of the winners dear dull witted lottery basher?

I’d love to put one of you in a room full of lottery winners. You know, a whole bunch of those ‘stupid mathematically challenged’ people. The ones who dared to dream a little, and found their little dream became a great big wonderful reality.

It’s actually quite hard to take offense when someone calls you ‘stupid’ for risking a bit of pocket change. Particularly when you’ve already become one of the tens of thousands of overnight millionaires created by lottery games.

Yes, it would have been far more sensible to put that money in the bank. And enjoy the benefits of compound interest that would see it double to cover the price of a whole cappucino. In around 20 years..!

And maybe we could do that with all the other money we waste on having a bit of fun and enjoying life.

Or maybe, just maybe, we could live a little instead.

There is one aspect of the math that every lottery player clearly understands however.

The chances of winning a jackpot may be remote. But not buying a ticket makes them precisely zero.

Good luck in the next draw.

P.S. Hit the Like button below if you agree that playing the lottery is not stupid!

33 Comments so far ↓

  • Chris Tranos

    To me a speeding ticket or a parking violation are valid examples of taxes for the stupid (personal exp).

    All things being equal if truly a “Random Lottery”, buying a lottery ticket cannot be any more “Stupid” than buying a 7500.00 wallet. Or a 2600.00 bottle of wine. I believe that buying 5-10 lines every draw, or every other draw has an amazing value. If not for the entertainment value alone! Of course each is entitled to his own opinion… Believe me I’ve felt the heat of the Stares from the shoppers in line behind me! Overheard the comments… That has amusement value in its own right… I’ve only recently begun playing and I have witnessed some stupidity displayed by a few lottery players… I think that the lottery profits handsomely from these types of players…

    Knowing the odds and playing smart and within ones budget should keep most of us a few Notches above Stupid… 🙂

  • Gene

    Stupid? My close friend has been a priest for the last 36 years. He said he was amazed how many people pray for a win. He said, there is no divine intervention in winning the lottery. In fact, he has seen not so nice people win a lot of money. It shows how the lottery plays with peoples emotions. It’s all luck he says. And oh, How about a donation to the church if you do win? G.J.B.

  • Vince

    Well, I can only echo each & every single word. Or, if you prefer, I can put my signature under each word, instead. Fact is the “dull smug people” just do not see the big picture. Never mind, problem is theirs, not ours. Good luck to all!

  • Ed Aslinger

    Hah! How about a tax on people not minding their own business? If I were Not a nice guy – and I decidedly am – I might say something nasty about people who buy Very Expensive Bass boats. Or People who own many, many guns, or, well whatever. As you say, LG, it’s fun! Let a man (or lady) have some fun. As they used to say when I was a kid (and I don’t know why) “See you in the funny papers.”

  • Carl

    I have drastically reduced my purchases as well as the number of days I play. Having done the study of which games actually have better odds, it has changed my purchase habits as well. $1 games are easier to afford even if I was to play daily. While $365 is a lot it is much less than the $1000 yearly spent without “winning big money”. So far this has been a good, informative journey.

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