[jaynos]

Join lottery pool at work. Might lose $2, but won't have to kill myself if everyone at the office wins and I have to show up everyday remembering that fact.

[redcalculator]

I find that it's more enjoyable to not join the pool and then buy myself a lunch when the participants inevitably lose. I make sure that everyone knows that it's a celebratory lunch. And then I wonder why I don't have any friends.

[willis77]

I'd like to see the mathematicians ascribe an expected value on the bitter, icy glare of your envious colleagues as you eat that sweet victory lunch.

[elbigbad]

Really I didn't even enter the office pool for years, but then started. $2 is worth the bonding with your coworkers.

[LordKano]

We had an office pool for Wednesday's drawing and one of the guys in my area declined to participate.

I joked that there was now a 292.2 million to 1 chance that tomorrow, he'd want to jump off of a bridge.

Fortunately for him, we didn't win anything.

[zem]

i wouldn't take a lottery ticket if you gave it to me for free, but i'd happily join an office pool. for me, the worst part about lotteries is the mental effort required to hang on to and track a ticket; it's sort of the opposite of the entertainment effect that people talk about. but if i could contribute some token amount of money to a social bonding endeavour, and as a bonus fund the entertainment of people who do enjoy keeping track of lottery tickets, and maybe magically have money appear without my having had to do anything for it, it would be worth it.

[scotty79]

> the worst part about lotteries is the mental effort required to hang on to and track a ticket

I usually forget about the ticket soon after I buy it. I had my fun dreaming and I don't really need to wait for the draw to absorb jolt of disappointment. I know I haven't won without checking.