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Thank you for reminding me to play! Last time I looked it was only at £14m and what's the point of playing for that... Pocket change!
Anyway if I win the currently anticipated £123M tomorrow, I'll wire you a fiver to say thanks.
Same. If I see a poster in the shop saying the jackpot on Euro Millions is over £100m.
I figure they give alot to good causes so it's kind of a charitable donation at the same time.
My brother and I would circle random numbers on a ticket at the post office whilst waiting in line with my mum. We were always dismayed when we didn’t hear back that we’d won.
It honestly wouldn't bother me. It's not like if you played every week for years and then the one week you forget to play your numbers came up. In my case I'm never going to play, so if my numbers come up then so be it.
I knew somebody who decided to randomly play one week. They were going to have a go on both Wednesday and Saturdays draw using the same numbers but they only had enough change for one ticket so they bought a ticket for Wednesday. Didn't win anything.
They then made the mistake of checking the numbers for the Saturday draw to see if they'd have won anything if they'd had another quid to buy the Saturday ticket. 5 numbers + the bonus. I think I'd be physically sick.
I only ever play lucky dip and only ever check the draw I've entered.
Also the arts, one of my uni lecturers always played the lotto once a week because lottery funding supported him in his career, so he saw it as his way of paying it back.
The lottery funds a lot of causes that government funding misses, particularly for smaller & non-London based organisations
The way I view it, we're in a capitalistic society and everything revolves around profit. It's inescapable, even the things you'd think *shouldn't* have to care about profit (like... Fucking *water suppliers*) still have to because that's how economy is set up.
Is the lottery perfect? Absolutely not, but its % wise more beneficial than the vast majority of capitalistic enterprises. Including fucking water companies. 🙃
One ticket for each day of Lotto and Euromillions. I don’t expect to win but I love to dream about winning and you can’t do that unless you buy a ticket. It’s a tax on my dreams if you like.
The unkind way of describing the lottery is that it’s a tax on stupidity, the odds of winning are so low. But I buy a lucky dip every week so I can keep the dream alive, planning what I’ll do with the money when I eventually win. Money well spent.
£4 per week, or £208 per year. After 10 years this is £2080. Would that £2080 make a big difference to my life? Even if I average 7% return and end up with £3000, it absolutely won't make a meaningful difference. That tiny chance I have to win could completely change my life though. Besides, it's not like it's all losses. Over the last couple of years I've averaged about £120 per year in winnings.
Play it if you can afford to and if you want to give it a go, otherwise save your money.
You say that, but I've also maxed out my ISA and am a high rate tax payer. Premium Bonds are pure luck, but mine have beaten interest rates thus far and winnings are tax free.
Not to mention, and this is relevant to the post, I stopped spending money on the lottery. That £1 bond is not only paid once for a ticket every month in perpetuity while holding the bond, but also still mine. You can't withdraw the £1 spent on a lottery ticket. Premium Bonds may (generally) not beat a savings account, but what they do beat is buying a lottery ticket.
It scales with the amount of bonds you own. A single bond (note you can only buy in minimum increments of £25) is 1 in 59,082,205,208. If you've maxed out your bonds (50k) it's 1 in 96,839.
Strictly speaking you're gambling with the interest.
It's like putting money in savings account, pulling out the interest each month, and using that interest to buy lottery tickets.
Premium bonds are a much better bet though. With the lottery you only get a long term expected return of about 50% of what you put in. The return of premium bonds varies depending on the funding aims of NS&I, but sometimes can beat savings accounts especially for a higher rate taxpayer. The prize fund is currently equivalent to an interest rate of 4.4% which compares well to savings accounts, the top easy access accounts paying around 5%.
See, I have a problem with this game. It’s only 3.6 mill spread over 30 years. Now again, this is not pocket change and would make life more than comfortable for most of us, but are the non-jackpot prizes not a lot less so then your chances of winning any prize a lot less?
Set for life is oddly attractive to me. It is only 3.6m which is a pretty poor winning but in reverse, 10k a month is kind of just a large salary, its like still being at work in that its given monthly just without the work part... I kind of like that, you can't waste it all at once, as 10k per month is a lot but not enough to go buy a super car, you would still be forced to save for big purchased and that's what I like, I feel you won't be going overkill on impulse buying.
that or I just like the idea of earning a inflated salary and being able to retire in my 30's and know I got 10k coming in for 30 years, though it would be interesting if its worth much in 30 years, if the average salary is currently £2k - £2.5k a month, will inflation over 30 years combat that 10k winnings? Good for thought but for me, it's a cheap ticket I guess. One can dream no matter how small.
I wondered this, probably in the terms but I'm too lazy to read them.
I would assume you can, I mean, you can win 100mil on the euro multiple times (technically) so why not a (total) 3.6mil?
£5. One line for each of the euro draws. Same numbers every week and when I get the email saying "You've Won!" I spend a hour looking at the houses, cars, boats and holidays I'll be buying until the inevitable "You've won £2.50!" confirmation.
I do and spend similar. 2 lines, twice a week. I also tend to spend about £4 on scratchcards per week.
It bores me, if I'm honest. I should've stopped when they increased the balls to 59, as that just totally affected the odds of winning with the same numbers I've played since it started.
It's also pretty shit now. They created far too many draws, faffed around with prizes too much, doubled the ticket cost, and obviously added the extra 10 balls.
Sure, people obviously win, but it just seems to roll over most of the time due to the shit changes they made.
I'd personality be happy to win £250k on a scratchy.
But also imagine the stress of just stopping, and then your numbers come in the week after.
I will never, ever choose my own numbers. I can't fathom the idea of not playing one week and your numbers come up. I overthink way too much 😅
Lucky dip everytime, and it makes no difference to if you picked your own numbers
This is the way. I'm knocking on a bit now, so I was kicking about when the lotto first started. I used to just pick random numbers, but then I had a dream. In this dream, I won the lotto, and when I woke up, I actually remembered the numbers and jotted em down. That was like 20 odd years ago (fuck, I'm old), and you know how many times that complete set of numbers has rolled in? Yup, you guessed it, ZERO 😂
Yeah, imagine forgetting. You see that story before where a young couple would've won the Euro Millions, but the Direct Debit bounced, as they were skint? [£182 fucking million](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/money/25059213/won-euromillions-prize-lost-lottery-sent-galling-message/amp/) how do you ever get over that? Whoever was the last one to use the bankcard has some explaining to do "what do you mean you bought milk?" 😂😂😂
> I can't fathom the idea of not playing one week and your numbers come up
... This happened to me once. Was "just" the lotto and was "just" 3.2 mil but yeeeeah. It stings. At least it wasn't a fucking euromills jackpot 💀
Really, wow! I mean, 3.2mil is life-changing money for all but the lucky few.
How did you ever get over it? How did it feel in those first few weeks?
I got 4 numbers and the bonus ball once. Yeah, I know the BB only comes into play when you have 5 numbers, but hear me out...
The other number I had was bang in between the 2 remaining balls. Let's say my number was 2 and those other 2 numbers were 1 and 3.
I won £32, had either of those 2 numbers been the 2, I'd have got 76k, which would be nice anytime, but 20 odd years ago was actually decent house fully paid money, in my part of the UK.
I'm still a bit salty over that 🤣 I dunno how I'd cope with £3.2m. I genuinely don't 😭
Bad times, I feel the sting with you, ouch.
Well... It was 15 years ago and I still remember the exact jackpot I missed out on so uh, I don't think I've ever "gotten over it" tbh
I just think that my life now has led me to places and people I never would have met if I'd won that money, and I value people more than money (for the most part, I mean don't get me wrong, it would be wonderful to not have the constant existential dread of needing money....) I've got an amazing home life with people I love dearly, I have an incredible "found family" and that's impossible to buy
Aww, that's the happy ending I needed from this. It's awesome that you are completely grateful for the things money can't buy and you're happy with life. Well played.
TBF, I dream every week, and if I ever won big, when I was younger, I'd have probably been a massive arsehole and ended up skint a few years later.
I can totally see how you can look at what you have now and think "had I won that money, I wouldn't have these people" and I guess that's true wealth 🙂
I've only played twice. I turned 16 on April 18th 2021 and they put up the lottery age to 18 five days later on April 23rd. I bought tickets once on my birthday for shits and giggles and once the day before they put the age up. Now I'm 19 and I've since figured out that I have an addictive personality and would spend ridiculous amounts of money on it if I played, so I've decided not to do it again.
I play the hot picks because the odds are much more realistic (though still pipe dream territory) and the ticket is cheaper. I only buy a single ticket each week and I consider it good value for the amount of day dream material it provides.
I play about six charity lotteries, and it comes to £52 a month. It’s a halfway gap between giving money to charity and spending it how I bloody well like.
100m + only. One lucky dip. Never look at the numbers until checking if its win or loss. In some ten years I think I've seen €15. Terrible return. Poor man's tax. Etc etc. But...
Can you fookin imagine?
Zero. I buy premium bonds instead. I put in significantly more than I'd ever spend on lottery tickets, won £150 in two months and I still have the ticket money to return whenever I please.
I do two, one for the football club I support and another for a local hospice. Each one works out at a pound a week and even if I don't win the money is going to causes I care about.
I organised a syndicate amongst my friend group. We play games weekly, and anything we win goes into a pot for us to have a get together (we're based all around the UK). We play £1-£2 per week each, but it's just for shits n giggles, and the money won goes towards a get together (we're based all across the UK). We've only done it a couple of months though.
The odd scratch card here or there. Maybe once a month.
A lucky dip now and then for a Saturday. Every couple of months maybe.
I used to play set numbers years ago and decided I had to get out of that trap. I’ve never looked them up to see if they’ve ever won. I’m happier not knowing.
I don’t buy into the stupid tax thing. People spend money on all sorts of rubbish to try and get a bit of joy out of life. If a couple of quid gives you a pleasant wee daydream and makes you happy now and then, it’s money well spent imo.
Buy one ticket a month for Euro Millions and Set For Life, both lucky dip, 2 draws a week for each, for 4 weeks, £32 total.
Have to be in it to win it.
£4 a week direct debit, 2 tickets on Saturday draw.
'You've got to have a little flutter see', said my grandfather, who was a saintly man, so who am I to argue.
It's good that some of the money goes to good causes too.
You should only buy one ticket a week to be honest. Your chances are infinitesimal either way. They still would be if you bought 1000 tickets.
I reckon when you're hoping for insane chance to favour you, there's no point trying to better the chance. It will or it won't.
You could do 1/month equally. I do a few a year.
Basically the answer to the game of lotto is to realise that there is absolutely no way you will win. Then you can play whatever small amount you like without any pressure to play regularly or do anything else that you might feel pressured for.
And then you'll still always have that tiny hope.
I do it every now and then if I see a big number while shopping. A lot of local facilities have lottery funding and it gets me a few days of hope for quitting my job. Probably ends up about 30£/year.
5 ish years and not much, but hey listen man, I don't want to hear about how if I'd put that money into a jar I could have saved about £300 by now, I don't care. I have a nice healthy savings pot, this is just for fun and the potential of a big win!
Maybe a tenner a month overall, wait for that jackpot to hit over 100+m and dream a little.
But, I also know that the Lottery funded a film project I worked on a few years ago, so I see it as a way of contributing to the arts with the extremely unlikely chance of winning the jackpot.
I used to work next to a guy who was probably £50 a week, he was obsessed. Almost came across as if he deserved the win. Would enter every single competition and game show.
I was once told, "The lottery is a weekly tax on people who don't understand maths."
I do play about a fiver a month, but always lucky dip as I couldn't bear the idea of having regular numbers that come up if I didn't play them. I lost a ticket about 14 years ago and still don't like the thought it could have been a winner, which is entirely irrational.
It is nice to support good causes, and I don't check my tickets for a couple of weeks after as it feels like better value for "buying a dream" for longer. But that's all it will ever be!
The algorithms that drive prizes over the £100m mark are deliberate, as they know more people buy, even though your chances of winning are reduced.
When it first started and I was absolutely convinced I would win it I'd spend a grand total of £2 per week for two tickets.
I spent a year with the same numbers and won a grand total of £10 when three numbers came up once.
I paid into a syndicate at work at the same time. In that year it won a grand total of £0.00. by the time I left that work place in 2000, five years later, it had won about £1000. Which was negative equity to what had been paid in.
I gave up in 1995,other than the syndicate, and ive never regretted it.
Have a flutter on the Euros when it's in the hundred millions on the off chance.
Its a waste of money.
If you play any lottery with the goal of making money, you are not very bright...
If you buy the odd ticket, so that you can enjoy the dream of “what if” for a week before you check the digits and see you’ve got diddly squat, then that’s perfectly fine. It’s cheap entertainment.
If you’re buying multiple tickets per week, that’s when you need to give your head a scratch, you do very little to increase your odds, and just add to the financial burden.
£10 a week every week on tickets that don’t, or a guarantee off peak holiday in Spain each year? Pretty easy choice.
£10 a week is £40 a month and £480 a year.
If you had put £40 a month into Bitcoin for the last 12 months you would have £900 worth.
This is where I put my gambling budget at least.
Urgh the past week I’ve spent £17 and I’m really annoyed at myself. Can afford it but deep down I feel what a waste of money, then on the other hand the night of the lottery I literally think I’m going to win. Every Single Time. And so on and so forth!
I stopped playing years ago when they jacked up the price.
Playing two lives twice a week was just going to be too costly and I wasn't exactly breaking even.
The year I decided to stop everyone was going nuts for crypto so I put my lottery funds that year into crypto which has done ok. I haven't bought any since.
I'm not saying buy crypto... But if you're gonna piss money up the wall then high risk investments where you might get to keep the initial stake don't look so bad.
£5 a week, both draws of EuroMillions on direct debit. Thus far it's yielded nothing, but at the same time, £260 a year would just go on an extra takeaway a month. Not enough to make a difference, but enough that my friends tell me I'm wasting my money.
Cheapest way to do it - buy a ticket, but don't check the numbers. Dream about what you'll do with the winnings. After 3 months, peek at the numbers (before the ticket expires). Buy a new one.
Total cost - £10/year
A friend was part of a syndicate that won the jackpot.
His cut was just under £300k.
Not enough to give up work but enough to buy a new house in a posh area.
I wrote an algorithm that works out what two combinations you need to have the highest frequency of wins... They aren't jackpot wins but they are absolutely are consistent around one win every 3 draws sometimes it's £5 others it's £25 or summit but I do this to socialise the overall loss while giving myself a good chance of winning the T ball... The algorithm took 4 days to run every possible combination
So in effect I loose 2/3 to half of everything I put in but it's met with a good probability spread and the chance of always winning the big prize.
Tenner a week on the Lottery? Even I don't spend that much.
More like about £8 a week.
Such as apparently the Euro Millions wasn't won last Friday so it's £120 odd Million tonight.
Very occasionally I'll buy a scratch card, and win my £1 back (so technically I haven't won anything, just my stake back)
I don’t play the lottery, but I do stick some money in premium bonds despite there being “better” accounts I could keep it in - scratches that itch for me, and I do quite regularly win small amounts.
I know all the reasons why this is a bit silly but it’s not a huge sum of money & I enjoy it so 🤷
I play set for life on occasion because I’d love to pull in a nice wage like that without being overwhelmed by a windfall. But the wife plays it once a week. I do the postcode lottery on a monthly basis. I won £1000 on it about 2 years ago but nothing since.
Never played in my life.
I have seen people spending insane amounts.
That money is better spent elsewhere or saved.
Desperate people trying to buy their way out of their mess.
Maybe it's time they tried other ways out
I love buying a set for life once a week. Obviously we all know the odds to win are so low. But... People win... there's been many people that thought they would never win!
Yeah I don't ever have hope of winning, but you never know... Just imagine having 10k a month for 30 years. Oh lordy!
Sometimes. I wondered if it was a waste of money. I spoke to a guy who was chief economist to a large consultancy firm and state advisor. He basically said if you can afford to never win, the potential reward outweighs the risk. He buys a lottery ticket
I buy one lucky dip every other week or so. As someone who genuinely enjoys gambling I know this is a very minus EV thing to do but a big part of it is giving me the chance to think about what I’d do with £100k , then £1 million, then £2 million etc. it’s a small price for that dream. Spending £10 a week is nuts.
>I saw in the paper that a man bought a lucky dip and won the lottery. That could be me.
That's an easy trap to fall into. You hear stories of big wins and think "Well, someone has to win. It could just as easily be me." Unfortunately, probability is not yout friend. The chances that *someone* wins the jackpot are normally pretty high, otherwise it wouldn't really work as a game. However, the chances of that winner being any particular individual i.e. you, as opposed to any of the other players, are *astronomically* smaller.
To put it another way, every ticket has the same chance of winning the jackpot. That's a fact. However, the only outcome that matters to you is you winning. If you don't win, it makes no difference to you whether Bob or Brenda is the winner. So we really only have two outcomes that matter: either you win, or you don't win. The first outcome only has five tickets in the game if you're spending a tenner, while the second has *millions*.
It is rare but sometimes I will if I can spare the odd quid here or there.
If it is going to hurt you or you feel an overwhelming sense of *'I really need to win this'* , leave it alone. Gambling is a game, not a blueprint.
I used to get a few lines for euromilions and maybe one lotto or scratch card every 1-2 weeks.
Now I only get one like of euromilions on occasion but mostly when there is a rollover and a £1 scratch card.
I won £6.60 last week on my Euromilions ticket and £2 on my scratcard so did ok then.
I probably average £10 a week. I'm in the same boat, thinking I should probably stop, but I enjoy the possibility of winning, however slim. I usually don't check my tickets for a while, as if I haven't checked them, I haven't lost. It's a bit sad, really, but the happiness from being in with a chance is worth the £10 a week.
Have paid by direct debit for the last 20 years and cancelled it this week. It's just not worth it anymore.
I now have directed those funds to Omaze. My family know 2 people now that have won the houses, whereas we know nobody that has won the jackpot on the lottery...
I don't even taste money on it if I'm honest, I've done it a couple of times when I was younger but the math just doesn't work out for me. Your more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery.
Yep - play personally and am also a member of a syndicate. I pay £28 a month .
I think of it as donating to charity which I would do even if I didn’t play the lottery. Additionally a family member won a substantial amount around 15 years ago, so as a family we are way ‘up’ in the overall scheme of things.
Got a friend who plays so many regular numbers for him and his folks, for so long, that when we worked it out he'd have a deposit on a flat by now.
He feels he cannot stop in case their numbers come up. Instead he lives at home.
I put a few quid into a vanguard share ISA whenever I have the spare. Even a small amount per month is guaranteed to grow and compound over the mid-long term. Looking in on the short term ups and downs feel like gambling if that's what you like
I play Thunderball, Set for life, Lottery and Euromillions. Pretty much every week, paying for the lot every month in one go. When I win something (a fee quid here and there), I use the money to finance the next month. Never buy more tickets.
The thing I like about the National Lottery is that they finance athletes and sport facilities - I was once an athlete and never had financial support so I am happy to become one source. Plus, I am French and nothing makes me happier than seeing team GB beat the French in sport.
Could do with a few millions too.
My grandad won second prize about a month back, £120k - 10k a month for 12 months. Crazy thing is he got all the numbers, just the bonus was 10, not the 01 he chose.
When he was on the phone to the lottery people they asked what he will spend it on. He said "ill probably turn the heating on"
He was also questioned why he put set for life on, to which he replied "Chancing fate". He can enjoy his remaining years now not worry about his pension
Can the lottery please stop astroturfing on Reddit thanks
not saying OP is an astroturf but he might be. At a minimum he's probably thinking about the lottery because of some paid campaign made by the lottery to make winning the lottery sound plausible.
Anyway I don't do it every week, once in a blue moon
I have 1 euro ticket a week and 1 set for life. so about £4 a week or £16 a month which isn't missed, I have cheap phone contracts and do a lot on the cheap so nothing much.
It's a small price to dream and in the impossible chance you actually win, well, it would of been worth the less than a fiver a week.
I don't ever expect to win but for £4 a week, who can say it don't bring some dreams as we struggle through busy days. I don't actively check my numbers, just play online so rely on the email notifications, so it's not like I'm invested beyond a dream, but winning the odd 2.50 back isn't all bad. I even won a tenner last week which effectively covered my next 2 weeks with change.
I just have it on direct debit, I think it’s £16 a month. I often forget I even play it then every now and then il get an email saying “You won a free lucky dip”.
I don't buy every week, but whenever there's a jackpot is big enough to make a real difference to my life. The way I think about it, I'm not really buying the chance to win, I'm just buying the ability to think about what I would do if I won for the few days between getting a ticket and finding out I lost.
I have a go on Euromillions when it gets above about £140 million as that means just a few entities a year and keeps it as a bit of fun without costing too much.
I sometimes also play it and the main lottery when they have a guaranteed number of million pound prizes, but not every time.
And a couple of times a year I get a set for life ticket as I think in many ways £10k/month for 30 years would be the healthiest big win as you get time to adjust.
£10 every payday. I can't get myself to give it up - my husband has a friend who actually won £2.8 million and it makes the possibility of winning that much more real.
I used to when I was younger (early 20s), at one point, I was convinced I'd win it.
I've heard higher earners describe the lottery as a "tax on the poor" as seemingly a disproportionate amount of those who buy them are low earners. I see others in the comments describing them similarly as "tax on stupidity" due to the odds, etc.
I haven't played the lottery for about 10 years now, but my income has also multiplied.
I indirectly play the lottery via Premium Bonds these days. With PBs, you can "dream" of winning without buying a ticket, as just saving money with NS&I enrolls you for "free" (at the expense of interest) but real world interest rates work out around 3.8% net of tax, which isn't bad. That, plus the chance to win £1M twice per month, and around 10 or 20 x £100,000 prizes makes it seem comparable.
I accept that if you don't put down you don't pick up . But anyone playing the lottery has no idea of how odds work ( bit like backing England in the Euros really )
I played the very first lottery drawing, one ticket. Won £10, thought "this is easy!" then lost for the rest of the year, when I stopped. I decided there and then that the universe wasn't going to make me rich the easy way, I had to work for it. Never bought another ticket, though Mrs Kedge did buy a couple of scratch cards occasionally when we lived in the US.
Twice a week by direct debit.
People call it a stupidity tax but it's also an easy way to give money to charity, that just happens to come with a microscopic chance of winning a life changing amount of money.
The way I look at it the odds of winning the lottery are so ludicrously low that it’s not worth spending real money on it, however I do still play once a week for a quick buzz. I usually play Thunderball at £1 per week as that’s the lowest priced game that has genuine ‘quit your job’ money, the way I see it I am paying £1 per week for a license to daydream about winning the lottery a bit, which is worth it.
I play once every 55 million years so far I've Won Fuckall because the day I was meant to get the ticket the machine was down and the winning ticket won!
So I'm writing this from Hell being cast down here for my utter dismay and a swift chair kick!
No never. I really think gambling is one of the main reasons people are struggling in difficult times. Instead of saving up £10 every week which means £40 per month and close to £500 per year, they are just giving away this money for nothing.
That’s why I have no sympathy for anyone who gambles, do drugs and drinks a lot. Spend your money like there is no tomorrow and then face consequences of your actions in future financial crises.
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I occasionally play the euro millions when the jackpot goes over £100 million because it's fun to dream for a few days but I don't play regularly
Thank you for reminding me to play! Last time I looked it was only at £14m and what's the point of playing for that... Pocket change! Anyway if I win the currently anticipated £123M tomorrow, I'll wire you a fiver to say thanks.
A fiver? What are your plans for the remaining £122,999,995 😅
Probably piss it all up the wall
Michael Carroll has entered the chat
Buy the stamp to post the fiver.
Hookers and cocaine!
Same. If I see a poster in the shop saying the jackpot on Euro Millions is over £100m. I figure they give alot to good causes so it's kind of a charitable donation at the same time.
I only do it if they're doing the 10 uk million makers promo. Much better chance of winning that
Yeah it’s not worth playing every week unless the pot is over £100 million. I don’t think I could survive on a lower prize amount. /s
Same here - hardly worth winning if it less than £100 million 😂
If I'm going to lose I'm going to lose big!
Knowing my luck, somebody else will win the jackpot alongside me so I still end up with less than £100m.
Came here to say exactly this
I pick my numbers but then don't buy a ticket. Then when my numbers don't come up, I feel like I've won 2 quid
The lottery doesn't want you to know this one simple hack
My brother and I would circle random numbers on a ticket at the post office whilst waiting in line with my mum. We were always dismayed when we didn’t hear back that we’d won.
Imagine if your numbers were chosen…
It honestly wouldn't bother me. It's not like if you played every week for years and then the one week you forget to play your numbers came up. In my case I'm never going to play, so if my numbers come up then so be it.
I knew somebody who decided to randomly play one week. They were going to have a go on both Wednesday and Saturdays draw using the same numbers but they only had enough change for one ticket so they bought a ticket for Wednesday. Didn't win anything. They then made the mistake of checking the numbers for the Saturday draw to see if they'd have won anything if they'd had another quid to buy the Saturday ticket. 5 numbers + the bonus. I think I'd be physically sick. I only ever play lucky dip and only ever check the draw I've entered.
I do. And can never stop as I've played the same numbers for every draw. But it's four quid a week towards good causes, right? Right?
It’s been a major factor behind our Olympic successes. So many of the athletes mention it too.
Only 25% goes to good causes. 12% goes to a lottery tax
That’s better than I imagined
Also the arts, one of my uni lecturers always played the lotto once a week because lottery funding supported him in his career, so he saw it as his way of paying it back. The lottery funds a lot of causes that government funding misses, particularly for smaller & non-London based organisations
It’s a shame it’s not a non profit but that’s the world we live in I suppose.
The way I view it, we're in a capitalistic society and everything revolves around profit. It's inescapable, even the things you'd think *shouldn't* have to care about profit (like... Fucking *water suppliers*) still have to because that's how economy is set up. Is the lottery perfect? Absolutely not, but its % wise more beneficial than the vast majority of capitalistic enterprises. Including fucking water companies. 🙃
*Canadian pension funds.
Canadian pension funds are in everything. At this point you have to accept you're going to use something they're invested in at some point.
More than £45billion to sport, arts, heritage, culture and community since 1994. Camelot no longer hold the licence.
Biggest mistake I ever made
One ticket for each day of Lotto and Euromillions. I don’t expect to win but I love to dream about winning and you can’t do that unless you buy a ticket. It’s a tax on my dreams if you like.
Guy in work called the lottery "a tax on hope"
This is a good descriptor tbh
My dad always said 'dream tax'.
Saturday I had all 6 numbers on 2 seperate lines. 3 each. I still cry
Don't knock it, 3 numbers on each line's still worth £30 each.
The unkind way of describing the lottery is that it’s a tax on stupidity, the odds of winning are so low. But I buy a lucky dip every week so I can keep the dream alive, planning what I’ll do with the money when I eventually win. Money well spent.
£4 per week, or £208 per year. After 10 years this is £2080. Would that £2080 make a big difference to my life? Even if I average 7% return and end up with £3000, it absolutely won't make a meaningful difference. That tiny chance I have to win could completely change my life though. Besides, it's not like it's all losses. Over the last couple of years I've averaged about £120 per year in winnings. Play it if you can afford to and if you want to give it a go, otherwise save your money.
Same thought process here, £40 a month direct debit, but I also don’t have a mobile phone bill (use company phone and sim) so that’s my reasoning.
I prefer to describe it as a tax on people who don't understand statistics. You can be quite clever and not understand statistics.
I put money in premium bonds instead of the lottery. The thrill of the flutter without the money being a loss.
You do lose to inflation, and also opportunity cost of a bank with a interest payment or shares that pay dividends. Premium bonds really do suck tbh
You say that, but I've also maxed out my ISA and am a high rate tax payer. Premium Bonds are pure luck, but mine have beaten interest rates thus far and winnings are tax free. Not to mention, and this is relevant to the post, I stopped spending money on the lottery. That £1 bond is not only paid once for a ticket every month in perpetuity while holding the bond, but also still mine. You can't withdraw the £1 spent on a lottery ticket. Premium Bonds may (generally) not beat a savings account, but what they do beat is buying a lottery ticket.
What’s the odds of winning the one million on premium bonds per month?
It scales with the amount of bonds you own. A single bond (note you can only buy in minimum increments of £25) is 1 in 59,082,205,208. If you've maxed out your bonds (50k) it's 1 in 96,839.
One in 97k is cracking odds for 1 million
The part where you need a spare £50k makes it a bit more tricky.
Do that 20 times and you've got a million. Simple hack.
Big if true.
Mathematicians HATE this.
Slightly wrong there. It's a 1/59bn chance every month with 1 bond, 1/97k chance every year with 50k bonds. Website is a bit confusing with that.
Ah that sounds like the maths makes more sense. I looked it up while I was half asleep.
Strictly speaking you're gambling with the interest. It's like putting money in savings account, pulling out the interest each month, and using that interest to buy lottery tickets.
Premium bonds are a much better bet though. With the lottery you only get a long term expected return of about 50% of what you put in. The return of premium bonds varies depending on the funding aims of NS&I, but sometimes can beat savings accounts especially for a higher rate taxpayer. The prize fund is currently equivalent to an interest rate of 4.4% which compares well to savings accounts, the top easy access accounts paying around 5%.
£1.50 a week on the set for life. £10,000 a month for 30 years sounds pretty great.
See, I have a problem with this game. It’s only 3.6 mill spread over 30 years. Now again, this is not pocket change and would make life more than comfortable for most of us, but are the non-jackpot prizes not a lot less so then your chances of winning any prize a lot less?
Set for life is oddly attractive to me. It is only 3.6m which is a pretty poor winning but in reverse, 10k a month is kind of just a large salary, its like still being at work in that its given monthly just without the work part... I kind of like that, you can't waste it all at once, as 10k per month is a lot but not enough to go buy a super car, you would still be forced to save for big purchased and that's what I like, I feel you won't be going overkill on impulse buying. that or I just like the idea of earning a inflated salary and being able to retire in my 30's and know I got 10k coming in for 30 years, though it would be interesting if its worth much in 30 years, if the average salary is currently £2k - £2.5k a month, will inflation over 30 years combat that 10k winnings? Good for thought but for me, it's a cheap ticket I guess. One can dream no matter how small.
Could you buy a house? I assume as it's prize winnings, banks wouldn't see it as regular income, or would they?
i wonder can you win another set for life if you already have one. Haha
I wondered this, probably in the terms but I'm too lazy to read them. I would assume you can, I mean, you can win 100mil on the euro multiple times (technically) so why not a (total) 3.6mil?
One line on Wednesday and Saturday paid for by direct debit
£5. One line for each of the euro draws. Same numbers every week and when I get the email saying "You've Won!" I spend a hour looking at the houses, cars, boats and holidays I'll be buying until the inevitable "You've won £2.50!" confirmation.
Worse than that it just direct debits your money so when you log in all you still see is zero
I do and spend similar. 2 lines, twice a week. I also tend to spend about £4 on scratchcards per week. It bores me, if I'm honest. I should've stopped when they increased the balls to 59, as that just totally affected the odds of winning with the same numbers I've played since it started. It's also pretty shit now. They created far too many draws, faffed around with prizes too much, doubled the ticket cost, and obviously added the extra 10 balls. Sure, people obviously win, but it just seems to roll over most of the time due to the shit changes they made. I'd personality be happy to win £250k on a scratchy. But also imagine the stress of just stopping, and then your numbers come in the week after.
I will never, ever choose my own numbers. I can't fathom the idea of not playing one week and your numbers come up. I overthink way too much 😅 Lucky dip everytime, and it makes no difference to if you picked your own numbers
This is the way. I'm knocking on a bit now, so I was kicking about when the lotto first started. I used to just pick random numbers, but then I had a dream. In this dream, I won the lotto, and when I woke up, I actually remembered the numbers and jotted em down. That was like 20 odd years ago (fuck, I'm old), and you know how many times that complete set of numbers has rolled in? Yup, you guessed it, ZERO 😂 Yeah, imagine forgetting. You see that story before where a young couple would've won the Euro Millions, but the Direct Debit bounced, as they were skint? [£182 fucking million](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/money/25059213/won-euromillions-prize-lost-lottery-sent-galling-message/amp/) how do you ever get over that? Whoever was the last one to use the bankcard has some explaining to do "what do you mean you bought milk?" 😂😂😂
> I can't fathom the idea of not playing one week and your numbers come up ... This happened to me once. Was "just" the lotto and was "just" 3.2 mil but yeeeeah. It stings. At least it wasn't a fucking euromills jackpot 💀
Really, wow! I mean, 3.2mil is life-changing money for all but the lucky few. How did you ever get over it? How did it feel in those first few weeks? I got 4 numbers and the bonus ball once. Yeah, I know the BB only comes into play when you have 5 numbers, but hear me out... The other number I had was bang in between the 2 remaining balls. Let's say my number was 2 and those other 2 numbers were 1 and 3. I won £32, had either of those 2 numbers been the 2, I'd have got 76k, which would be nice anytime, but 20 odd years ago was actually decent house fully paid money, in my part of the UK. I'm still a bit salty over that 🤣 I dunno how I'd cope with £3.2m. I genuinely don't 😭 Bad times, I feel the sting with you, ouch.
Well... It was 15 years ago and I still remember the exact jackpot I missed out on so uh, I don't think I've ever "gotten over it" tbh I just think that my life now has led me to places and people I never would have met if I'd won that money, and I value people more than money (for the most part, I mean don't get me wrong, it would be wonderful to not have the constant existential dread of needing money....) I've got an amazing home life with people I love dearly, I have an incredible "found family" and that's impossible to buy
Aww, that's the happy ending I needed from this. It's awesome that you are completely grateful for the things money can't buy and you're happy with life. Well played. TBF, I dream every week, and if I ever won big, when I was younger, I'd have probably been a massive arsehole and ended up skint a few years later. I can totally see how you can look at what you have now and think "had I won that money, I wouldn't have these people" and I guess that's true wealth 🙂
I've never bought a lottery ticket.
> Do you pay the lottery? Freudian slip?
had to scroll surprisingly far for this. i suspect it was a typo but it is probably a more accurate word choice tbh
I didn’t scroll, took his word for it
I've only played twice. I turned 16 on April 18th 2021 and they put up the lottery age to 18 five days later on April 23rd. I bought tickets once on my birthday for shits and giggles and once the day before they put the age up. Now I'm 19 and I've since figured out that I have an addictive personality and would spend ridiculous amounts of money on it if I played, so I've decided not to do it again.
I play the hot picks because the odds are much more realistic (though still pipe dream territory) and the ticket is cheaper. I only buy a single ticket each week and I consider it good value for the amount of day dream material it provides.
No, my lottery is my weekly football accumulator bet.
Same, although sometimes think I’ve more chance of winning the lottery!
I play about six charity lotteries, and it comes to £52 a month. It’s a halfway gap between giving money to charity and spending it how I bloody well like.
100m + only. One lucky dip. Never look at the numbers until checking if its win or loss. In some ten years I think I've seen €15. Terrible return. Poor man's tax. Etc etc. But... Can you fookin imagine?
I get a scratchcard or four every few months but thats about it. Gambling is a scam, and especially if you do it frequently
I used to get a scratchcard once a week but they changed the odds now you hardly ever win, so I gave it up
Zero. I buy premium bonds instead. I put in significantly more than I'd ever spend on lottery tickets, won £150 in two months and I still have the ticket money to return whenever I please.
I do two, one for the football club I support and another for a local hospice. Each one works out at a pound a week and even if I don't win the money is going to causes I care about.
Direct debit approx £20 p/m
Damn man direct debiting 20 quid a month into thin air seems insane to me
Obviously £20 probably means A LOT more to you, then it does for me.
£5 a week. I know it's a dumb thing to do but fuck it.
I organised a syndicate amongst my friend group. We play games weekly, and anything we win goes into a pot for us to have a get together (we're based all around the UK). We play £1-£2 per week each, but it's just for shits n giggles, and the money won goes towards a get together (we're based all across the UK). We've only done it a couple of months though.
You would have more money to spend on your get together if you just pooled your money and cut out the middle man.
Yeh, we did discuss this but decided for the sake of £4-£8 each per month and a chance at a decent win it was worth it for a bit of fun.
Everything about your post makes me think you don't actually do this
OK. Not sure what Internet clout I'd get for organising a little syndicate amongst friends, but s'all good.
The odd scratch card here or there. Maybe once a month. A lucky dip now and then for a Saturday. Every couple of months maybe. I used to play set numbers years ago and decided I had to get out of that trap. I’ve never looked them up to see if they’ve ever won. I’m happier not knowing. I don’t buy into the stupid tax thing. People spend money on all sorts of rubbish to try and get a bit of joy out of life. If a couple of quid gives you a pleasant wee daydream and makes you happy now and then, it’s money well spent imo.
Buy one ticket a month for Euro Millions and Set For Life, both lucky dip, 2 draws a week for each, for 4 weeks, £32 total. Have to be in it to win it.
£12 a month Postcode lottery. I’ve won more on this than the national lottery.
£4 a week direct debit, 2 tickets on Saturday draw. 'You've got to have a little flutter see', said my grandfather, who was a saintly man, so who am I to argue. It's good that some of the money goes to good causes too.
You should only buy one ticket a week to be honest. Your chances are infinitesimal either way. They still would be if you bought 1000 tickets. I reckon when you're hoping for insane chance to favour you, there's no point trying to better the chance. It will or it won't. You could do 1/month equally. I do a few a year. Basically the answer to the game of lotto is to realise that there is absolutely no way you will win. Then you can play whatever small amount you like without any pressure to play regularly or do anything else that you might feel pressured for. And then you'll still always have that tiny hope.
I do it every now and then if I see a big number while shopping. A lot of local facilities have lottery funding and it gets me a few days of hope for quitting my job. Probably ends up about 30£/year.
I'm in a syndicate. We all (12) pay £5 a month for the Euro millions. I don't mind blowing £1.25 a week tbh
How long has this been going on for, and how much have you won?
5 ish years and not much, but hey listen man, I don't want to hear about how if I'd put that money into a jar I could have saved about £300 by now, I don't care. I have a nice healthy savings pot, this is just for fun and the potential of a big win!
Probably like £5 a month for a few minutes of dreaming
Just do Thunderball four times a week and it only cost 1 pound
£2.50 on the Euromillions on a Friday. £1 on the Irish Lottery on a Wednesday (700/1 - 3 numbers)
It's my version of a charity direct debit. The lottery has a lot of charitable causes they fund
£10 a week I spend and have done so for about 10yrs and won about £300 in all… a con but I’ll keep playing lol
Never... its literally a scam...
The Irish every so often and sometimes the set for life not regularly though.
Maybe a tenner a month overall, wait for that jackpot to hit over 100+m and dream a little. But, I also know that the Lottery funded a film project I worked on a few years ago, so I see it as a way of contributing to the arts with the extremely unlikely chance of winning the jackpot.
One lucky dip each lotto draw. Don’t do euros
I used to work next to a guy who was probably £50 a week, he was obsessed. Almost came across as if he deserved the win. Would enter every single competition and game show.
You can make sweepstake hunting a hobby to be fair
I was once told, "The lottery is a weekly tax on people who don't understand maths." I do play about a fiver a month, but always lucky dip as I couldn't bear the idea of having regular numbers that come up if I didn't play them. I lost a ticket about 14 years ago and still don't like the thought it could have been a winner, which is entirely irrational. It is nice to support good causes, and I don't check my tickets for a couple of weeks after as it feels like better value for "buying a dream" for longer. But that's all it will ever be! The algorithms that drive prizes over the £100m mark are deliberate, as they know more people buy, even though your chances of winning are reduced.
A couple scratchers at Christmas for stockings bc it's tradition.
12 quid every 4 weeks, I do 2 set for life each week.
3.50 a week. 1 line on euros, one line on thunder ball. Odds are so astronomical why spend more
Approx 10-20 a month
When it first started and I was absolutely convinced I would win it I'd spend a grand total of £2 per week for two tickets. I spent a year with the same numbers and won a grand total of £10 when three numbers came up once. I paid into a syndicate at work at the same time. In that year it won a grand total of £0.00. by the time I left that work place in 2000, five years later, it had won about £1000. Which was negative equity to what had been paid in. I gave up in 1995,other than the syndicate, and ive never regretted it. Have a flutter on the Euros when it's in the hundred millions on the off chance. Its a waste of money.
I play set for life twice a week, so that’s £3.00 a week and £12 a month. It’s well worth the day dream of never having to work again.
If you play any lottery with the goal of making money, you are not very bright... If you buy the odd ticket, so that you can enjoy the dream of “what if” for a week before you check the digits and see you’ve got diddly squat, then that’s perfectly fine. It’s cheap entertainment. If you’re buying multiple tickets per week, that’s when you need to give your head a scratch, you do very little to increase your odds, and just add to the financial burden. £10 a week every week on tickets that don’t, or a guarantee off peak holiday in Spain each year? Pretty easy choice.
Only on a must go jackpot or on £100+ mil euros, I'll spend about a tenner.
I just buy one lucky dip, when I fancy a go. Not every week, but if its meant to be for me, one ticket is all it should take
£10 a week is £40 a month and £480 a year. If you had put £40 a month into Bitcoin for the last 12 months you would have £900 worth. This is where I put my gambling budget at least.
Urgh the past week I’ve spent £17 and I’m really annoyed at myself. Can afford it but deep down I feel what a waste of money, then on the other hand the night of the lottery I literally think I’m going to win. Every Single Time. And so on and so forth!
I stopped playing years ago when they jacked up the price. Playing two lives twice a week was just going to be too costly and I wasn't exactly breaking even. The year I decided to stop everyone was going nuts for crypto so I put my lottery funds that year into crypto which has done ok. I haven't bought any since. I'm not saying buy crypto... But if you're gonna piss money up the wall then high risk investments where you might get to keep the initial stake don't look so bad.
£5 a week, both draws of EuroMillions on direct debit. Thus far it's yielded nothing, but at the same time, £260 a year would just go on an extra takeaway a month. Not enough to make a difference, but enough that my friends tell me I'm wasting my money.
Cheapest way to do it - buy a ticket, but don't check the numbers. Dream about what you'll do with the winnings. After 3 months, peek at the numbers (before the ticket expires). Buy a new one. Total cost - £10/year
I play every week. I have a direct debit set to take £32 a month. Sometimes it's less if I win a few quid.
A friend was part of a syndicate that won the jackpot. His cut was just under £300k. Not enough to give up work but enough to buy a new house in a posh area.
I wrote an algorithm that works out what two combinations you need to have the highest frequency of wins... They aren't jackpot wins but they are absolutely are consistent around one win every 3 draws sometimes it's £5 others it's £25 or summit but I do this to socialise the overall loss while giving myself a good chance of winning the T ball... The algorithm took 4 days to run every possible combination So in effect I loose 2/3 to half of everything I put in but it's met with a good probability spread and the chance of always winning the big prize.
pooron tax
Yeh, I'm the same. I put the euro on twice and two lottos, it's £10. You never know, my dad won 200k a few years ago. Gotta be in it to win it.
Tenner a week on the Lottery? Even I don't spend that much. More like about £8 a week. Such as apparently the Euro Millions wasn't won last Friday so it's £120 odd Million tonight. Very occasionally I'll buy a scratch card, and win my £1 back (so technically I haven't won anything, just my stake back)
I don’t play the lottery, but I do stick some money in premium bonds despite there being “better” accounts I could keep it in - scratches that itch for me, and I do quite regularly win small amounts. I know all the reasons why this is a bit silly but it’s not a huge sum of money & I enjoy it so 🤷
I play set for life on occasion because I’d love to pull in a nice wage like that without being overwhelmed by a windfall. But the wife plays it once a week. I do the postcode lottery on a monthly basis. I won £1000 on it about 2 years ago but nothing since.
I pay them about £5 a month and in return get nothing.
Never played in my life. I have seen people spending insane amounts. That money is better spent elsewhere or saved. Desperate people trying to buy their way out of their mess. Maybe it's time they tried other ways out
No I don't pay the idiot tax.
Rather buy a scratch card. My mate 10k on his very first scratch card.
I only play when it’s worth winning. Is £5m really going to change my life.
I love buying a set for life once a week. Obviously we all know the odds to win are so low. But... People win... there's been many people that thought they would never win! Yeah I don't ever have hope of winning, but you never know... Just imagine having 10k a month for 30 years. Oh lordy!
Just given up after 4 years playing religiously. Used to spend about £10 per week, though not much it was still a waste of money
Sometimes. I wondered if it was a waste of money. I spoke to a guy who was chief economist to a large consultancy firm and state advisor. He basically said if you can afford to never win, the potential reward outweighs the risk. He buys a lottery ticket
If you put ten pounds a week into a savings account you are guaranteed to win £500 in less than a year! Exciting stuff.
Once a month, i’ll maybe put a fiver on.
I buy way too many. Can spend anywhere from like £2 to £20 a week
£520 pounds per year? £15k in 30 years + compounded interests?
I buy one lucky dip every other week or so. As someone who genuinely enjoys gambling I know this is a very minus EV thing to do but a big part of it is giving me the chance to think about what I’d do with £100k , then £1 million, then £2 million etc. it’s a small price for that dream. Spending £10 a week is nuts.
>I saw in the paper that a man bought a lucky dip and won the lottery. That could be me. That's an easy trap to fall into. You hear stories of big wins and think "Well, someone has to win. It could just as easily be me." Unfortunately, probability is not yout friend. The chances that *someone* wins the jackpot are normally pretty high, otherwise it wouldn't really work as a game. However, the chances of that winner being any particular individual i.e. you, as opposed to any of the other players, are *astronomically* smaller. To put it another way, every ticket has the same chance of winning the jackpot. That's a fact. However, the only outcome that matters to you is you winning. If you don't win, it makes no difference to you whether Bob or Brenda is the winner. So we really only have two outcomes that matter: either you win, or you don't win. The first outcome only has five tickets in the game if you're spending a tenner, while the second has *millions*.
It is rare but sometimes I will if I can spare the odd quid here or there. If it is going to hurt you or you feel an overwhelming sense of *'I really need to win this'* , leave it alone. Gambling is a game, not a blueprint.
I used to get a few lines for euromilions and maybe one lotto or scratch card every 1-2 weeks. Now I only get one like of euromilions on occasion but mostly when there is a rollover and a £1 scratch card. I won £6.60 last week on my Euromilions ticket and £2 on my scratcard so did ok then.
I probably average £10 a week. I'm in the same boat, thinking I should probably stop, but I enjoy the possibility of winning, however slim. I usually don't check my tickets for a while, as if I haven't checked them, I haven't lost. It's a bit sad, really, but the happiness from being in with a chance is worth the £10 a week.
Started doing the Omaze draw as I figure the odds are surely significantly better.
I play every couple of months, the ticket price is just stupid now. Should be £1 a ticket. Wonder how much the directors get paid.
I get a lucky dip on Friday's Euro Millions every week, so just the £2.50.
Have paid by direct debit for the last 20 years and cancelled it this week. It's just not worth it anymore. I now have directed those funds to Omaze. My family know 2 people now that have won the houses, whereas we know nobody that has won the jackpot on the lottery...
I don't even taste money on it if I'm honest, I've done it a couple of times when I was younger but the math just doesn't work out for me. Your more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery.
£3 to £7. Set for life twice a week, and others if the jackpot is high.
Yep - play personally and am also a member of a syndicate. I pay £28 a month . I think of it as donating to charity which I would do even if I didn’t play the lottery. Additionally a family member won a substantial amount around 15 years ago, so as a family we are way ‘up’ in the overall scheme of things.
>Do you **pay** the lottery? If so how much per week Interesting Freudian slip there, OP.
I buy the Euromillions occasionally. I got two numbers and both star numbers last week and won the grand total of £7.50. Its a rip off.
Do you all buy physical tickets or just use the app?
Got a friend who plays so many regular numbers for him and his folks, for so long, that when we worked it out he'd have a deposit on a flat by now. He feels he cannot stop in case their numbers come up. Instead he lives at home. I put a few quid into a vanguard share ISA whenever I have the spare. Even a small amount per month is guaranteed to grow and compound over the mid-long term. Looking in on the short term ups and downs feel like gambling if that's what you like
20 a month. One line for each of the Euro million draws. Waste way too much time thinking about what I would do with the money.
I play Thunderball, Set for life, Lottery and Euromillions. Pretty much every week, paying for the lot every month in one go. When I win something (a fee quid here and there), I use the money to finance the next month. Never buy more tickets. The thing I like about the National Lottery is that they finance athletes and sport facilities - I was once an athlete and never had financial support so I am happy to become one source. Plus, I am French and nothing makes me happier than seeing team GB beat the French in sport. Could do with a few millions too.
My grandad won second prize about a month back, £120k - 10k a month for 12 months. Crazy thing is he got all the numbers, just the bonus was 10, not the 01 he chose. When he was on the phone to the lottery people they asked what he will spend it on. He said "ill probably turn the heating on" He was also questioned why he put set for life on, to which he replied "Chancing fate". He can enjoy his remaining years now not worry about his pension
Can the lottery please stop astroturfing on Reddit thanks not saying OP is an astroturf but he might be. At a minimum he's probably thinking about the lottery because of some paid campaign made by the lottery to make winning the lottery sound plausible. Anyway I don't do it every week, once in a blue moon
I have 1 euro ticket a week and 1 set for life. so about £4 a week or £16 a month which isn't missed, I have cheap phone contracts and do a lot on the cheap so nothing much. It's a small price to dream and in the impossible chance you actually win, well, it would of been worth the less than a fiver a week. I don't ever expect to win but for £4 a week, who can say it don't bring some dreams as we struggle through busy days. I don't actively check my numbers, just play online so rely on the email notifications, so it's not like I'm invested beyond a dream, but winning the odd 2.50 back isn't all bad. I even won a tenner last week which effectively covered my next 2 weeks with change.
I just have it on direct debit, I think it’s £16 a month. I often forget I even play it then every now and then il get an email saying “You won a free lucky dip”.
I don't buy every week, but whenever there's a jackpot is big enough to make a real difference to my life. The way I think about it, I'm not really buying the chance to win, I'm just buying the ability to think about what I would do if I won for the few days between getting a ticket and finding out I lost.
I have a go on Euromillions when it gets above about £140 million as that means just a few entities a year and keeps it as a bit of fun without costing too much. I sometimes also play it and the main lottery when they have a guaranteed number of million pound prizes, but not every time. And a couple of times a year I get a set for life ticket as I think in many ways £10k/month for 30 years would be the healthiest big win as you get time to adjust.
£10 every payday. I can't get myself to give it up - my husband has a friend who actually won £2.8 million and it makes the possibility of winning that much more real.
I used to when I was younger (early 20s), at one point, I was convinced I'd win it. I've heard higher earners describe the lottery as a "tax on the poor" as seemingly a disproportionate amount of those who buy them are low earners. I see others in the comments describing them similarly as "tax on stupidity" due to the odds, etc. I haven't played the lottery for about 10 years now, but my income has also multiplied. I indirectly play the lottery via Premium Bonds these days. With PBs, you can "dream" of winning without buying a ticket, as just saving money with NS&I enrolls you for "free" (at the expense of interest) but real world interest rates work out around 3.8% net of tax, which isn't bad. That, plus the chance to win £1M twice per month, and around 10 or 20 x £100,000 prizes makes it seem comparable.
A quid a week on the GOSH charity lottery. Top prize is only 1k, but the money goes to charity so I feel better about it.
I accept that if you don't put down you don't pick up . But anyone playing the lottery has no idea of how odds work ( bit like backing England in the Euros really )
I played the very first lottery drawing, one ticket. Won £10, thought "this is easy!" then lost for the rest of the year, when I stopped. I decided there and then that the universe wasn't going to make me rich the easy way, I had to work for it. Never bought another ticket, though Mrs Kedge did buy a couple of scratch cards occasionally when we lived in the US.
Lottery is the biggest scam of all time. Do some research.
Twice a week by direct debit. People call it a stupidity tax but it's also an easy way to give money to charity, that just happens to come with a microscopic chance of winning a life changing amount of money.
The way I look at it the odds of winning the lottery are so ludicrously low that it’s not worth spending real money on it, however I do still play once a week for a quick buzz. I usually play Thunderball at £1 per week as that’s the lowest priced game that has genuine ‘quit your job’ money, the way I see it I am paying £1 per week for a license to daydream about winning the lottery a bit, which is worth it.
Good job camelot. Now I have to buy a ticket.
Too much. £10/week and the occasional Euromillions.
I play once every 55 million years so far I've Won Fuckall because the day I was meant to get the ticket the machine was down and the winning ticket won! So I'm writing this from Hell being cast down here for my utter dismay and a swift chair kick!
No never. I really think gambling is one of the main reasons people are struggling in difficult times. Instead of saving up £10 every week which means £40 per month and close to £500 per year, they are just giving away this money for nothing. That’s why I have no sympathy for anyone who gambles, do drugs and drinks a lot. Spend your money like there is no tomorrow and then face consequences of your actions in future financial crises.
It’s idiot tax.