I typically play $1 on the Big Game every draw, as the smallest it gets is $10 million, which (again) on a lump-sum payout, minus charity and taxes, is still upwards of three million, which is certainly enough money for comfortable living, even under current market conditions! ... this means that my "gambling money" runs at a base line of $104.00/year, a figure that I feel is certainly a forgivable sin, given the potential upside. Of course, as one writer put it (and I wish I could remember her name to get the exact quote), "the lottery is the only game where playing does not significantly improve your odds of winning" ... however, if one looks at "probability envelopes" (no matter how slim), not buying a ticket collapses the envelope down to zero and having a ticket at least puts one in the field of possibilities!
I just wish I could get something set up so that every time the Power Ball prize gets big, it would buy me ONE quick-pick ticket ... I feel so "wasteful" buying FIVE tickets (and paying double for the service!), since once that probability envelope has been established, the addition of extra sets of numbers really does not improve one's odds "significantly". Oh, well, it's certainly better than getting "twitchy" from thinking about "gee ... I should try to get to Wisconsin or Indiana to buy a ticket!", so I guess the extra five bucks to play on-line is worth it.
