Brickbat: Luck of the Draw

Carl McCain won $800 on a lottery ticket, but when he went to claim his prize, North Carolina officials told him the money was being taken to pay debts he owed to Lenoir County and Wayne County. North Carolina law allows the state to seize winnings to cover state or local debts, but McCain said the debts weren't his and that he had never been to those counties. He called county officials and found the debt belonged to someone with a similar name, but their records listed McCain's Social Security number, causing the mix-up. Still, nothing happened for over a month. Finally, after he reached out to a TV reporter, officials corrected the error and McCain received his winnings in the mail.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Finally, after he reached out to a TV reporter, officials corrected the error and McCain received his winnings in the mail.

See? The system worked.

[Vernon Depner]

Here's your receipt for you husband, Mrs. Buttle.

[SRG2]

Good reference

[mad.casual]

Re: tariffs, I had a conservative economics professor who used to say that the lottery and state-sanctioned gambling were a tax on the stupid.

To my knowledge he never added it but I'm pretty sure "by the stupid" could be appended in spirit.

[Idaho-Bob]

"A tax on people who do not understand math" was a comment a mentor of mine used to say.

[Will Nonya]

While correct and I agree, comments like these miss the point of playing the lottery. People buying tickets aren't thinking about the odds of winning but rather the hope and the dream of winning. Its an escape not a rational financial plan.

[SRG2]

People - including many economists - get this wrong.

First, there's the argument from utility. Though the bet may not be rational from a nominal value perspective, from a utility perspective (courtesy M Bernoulli - though in this case the paradox is the other way around), the utility cost of the buck or two for a lottery ticket is FAPP zero, whereas the utility benefit of winning the lottery is FAPP infinite - or at least, bloody huge. And there are no other more convenient ways for taking such a utility bet.

Second: entertainment value. (Almost) no-one asks whether it's irrational to pay to see a film (unless it's "Melania"...) People pay to be entertained. Suppose the expectation of profit (prize x probability of winning) of a dollar ticket is 60 cents. The additional 40 cents represents "entertainment" or similar. People are paying for the excitement, the fun of dreaming, etc. Who is to say that it's irrational to pay 40 cents ot whatever for that?

[SQRLSY]

OT Post:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-wanted-penn-station-dulles-airport-named-for-him-in-schumer-deal/ar-AA1VPrlZ?ocid=BingNewsSerp

WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump wanted New York's Penn Station and Virginia's Dulles International Airport named after him in exchange for dropping his freeze on billions of federal dollars for a New York tunnel project...

SQRLSY Cumment:

In other news, Trump said that he would release the Congress-approved funds to NASA, only if NASA would re-name "Uranus" to becum "Trump's Anus"!

[SQRLSY]

Also, if NYC politicians swill merely rename "NYC" to becum "Trumpkingrad", then Trump pinky-swears that He will SNOT, after all, send for ICE and Ice-Storm-Trooper-Barbie and KGB and Gestapo and KKK and STASI thugs to be sent to bust up "Trumpkingrad"!

(The newly renamed "Trumpkingrad" swill becum HOLY Grounds, where illegal sub-humans are universally despised, ass Jesus Christ Himself taught us to despise them, and ICE goons swill becum totally SNOT needed!)

[Don't look at me! ( Is the war over yet?)]

You aren’t going to make it through the next three years l

[SQRLSY]

DLAM has becum undone! Cuntaminated and DeLaminated!!! (Someone should set up a Go-Fund-Me web page to fund the RE-lamination of the DeLaminated DLAM!!!)

[SCOTUS gave JeffSarc a big sad]

‘Fingers crossed’

[LIBtranslator]

Asset-forfeiture buffs in both looter counties are wearing black armbands to this day!

[SCOTUS gave JeffSarc a big sad]

But what about Comstock and girl bulliers?

[HarrietLi]

People tend to believe in miracles. It's our basic pattern. But I'm already an experienced person and have lived a difficult life. I can analyze events and draw the right conclusions. The lottery is a game with the lowest odds of success. I would prefer to use something like crystal 1xbet. I don’t regret my choice at all) I wish everyone good luck!