[zorrb]

This article is trash. First he makes a dumb argument that comes down to, what's $2 in exchange for the warm fuzzies of imagining where you'll move with that money.

And then goes on to explain why now's the best time to waste your money if you like wasting your money because of the ridiculously obvious point that the jackpot is larger now.

This is abysmal garbage and the author should feel bad and so should everyone who upvoted this. I rarely ever get mad but the lottery is one of my biggest pet peeves, and this brings no insight or elaboration on the issue besides, "gee wouldn't it be great to instantly have millions of dollars."

[jmiwhite]

There are a number of things you can spend a small amount of money on with ultimately nothing to show for it but some brief enjoyment. It seems the author is encouraging his (non-addict, non-destitute) audience to reframe their thinking about what the lottery provides as entertainment value rather than simply being 'a tax on people who are bad at math' - even if you don't ultimately play, you don't have to view those who do in a negative light.

That's certainly how I used to feel, but once I started thinking of it as a lark rather than a blight, it just didn't seem like that big of a deal.

[themartorana]

Hasn't it been shown time and again that the act of thinking positively about your future often carries over in to your real life, making you happier in the present?

Besides, I could drop $100 on Blackjack in AC once a year or $2 every time the jackpot climbs above $500m. My (minuscule) appetite for gambling is satisfied in both situations, and I save $98/year :)