What are the odds?

[jenn1381]

Kind of a hand me a crying towel story.. lol
I went out with my mom yesterday, helping her run some errands, etc. I took the groceries to the car, leaving her in the lottery booth to buy her tickets for last night... 10 minutes later she comes out of the store, and didn't say a word. I thought she had bought her tickets and all was well. Turns out, the line was too big, the weather was getting bad, and she had a turkey breast she needs to get in the oven, so she gave up waiting and left. ALL SIX OF HER NUMBERS HIT. #$$@@$%^^&%#@!~!!!!!! All six... I checked myself just now. Would have been worth just over 1.5 million - tax free. Moral of the story - weather and dinner be damned, buy the friggin ticket.

 

[mikepipe]

My goodness. what a nightmare story. Please say: You are a writer and only want to check, if this punch line hits the readers. no?

 

[jenn1381]

Well, I am a writer.. but I wouldn't not lie about this one... I am not that good a story teller... I am sick to my stomach, believe me.. this is just unbelievable. The *good* spin on the story is that sometimes she changes one of her numbers (didn't know that) so with the numbers she was planning to play last night she would've only hit 5 numbers - around 35k. Better than 1.5 mill but holy #$%^ still a lot of money.

 

[mikepipe]

hmm. Honestly: Isnt that enough for a good shortstory or a screenplay?
To point out that you avoided the loss of nearly 1.5 Million, because your mom changed her numbers?
some light story about profit - to be contrasted with two stockbroker s sitting in the same bar as our heroes and talking about their business...

 

[jenn1381]

lol, oh I am sure it would make a great short story... but for now, it's just our life. And it's rather typical. Lightening will rarely hit twice, her turn came and blew away with the wind before she even knew it. I am sure I'll get a poem or two out of it, lol. Not much for stories. Besides, this is definitely a story that sucks.. lol. I'm sure it would boost lottery sales tho.. all those people thinking it will never happen, why bother.. might change a tune or 2.

 

[lojo]

Kind of a hand me a crying towel story.. lol
I went out with my mom yesterday, helping her run some errands, etc. I took the groceries to the car, leaving her in the lottery booth to buy her tickets for last night... 10 minutes later she comes out of the store, and didn't say a word. I thought she had bought her tickets and all was well. Turns out, the line was too big, the weather was getting bad, and she had a turkey breast she needs to get in the oven, so she gave up waiting and left. ALL SIX OF HER NUMBERS HIT. #$$@@$%^^&%#@!~!!!!!! All six... I checked myself just now. Would have been worth just over 1.5 million - tax free. Moral of the story - weather and dinner be damned, buy the friggin ticket.

OMG!!! That sucks. The good news is you have a 42,000,000/1 chance to hit it again

Your Momma's Momma might be saying things like... spilled milk, don't borrow trouble... I hope this doesn't affect your family in a negative way. Please laugh it off and don't let it become a tragedy. I feel for ya. Have you seen the screenshots that suck where the guy needed one more film reel or wild? owee.

Lightning DOES strike twice, and if you don't play you can't win.

Good luck

 

[vinylweatherman]

Press

See if you can sell this story to the press, recoup something at least

 

[tencardcharlie]

WTF, what a terrible, terrible story.

Makes me wan't to write some really wise comforting words, but I just can't come up with anything. Gawhd...

 

[jenn1381]

lol I talked to my mom about going to the press and she freaked - she's even more private than I am, and that's saying a lot.

Overall, we're taking it well. We all dreamt of the "what if's" last night, and today would certainly not have been spent at work that's for sure as we'd have money to collect... but, them's the breaks right. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be.

It still sucks though. It still royally sucks.

 

[kengam]

I don't believe you. I have heard the same story from no less than 5 other people in my life. I am not bashing, just not believing.

 

[jenn1381]

lol well thats your choice and opinion isn't it. However it kind of does seem like bashing because quite frankly you didn't have to post it... anytime I don't believe things (and that's about a quarter of what I see on this or any other site) I just move on.

Tis all ok though, wasn't looking for a bunch of strangers to believe me, those who know me know I hate liar's and wouldn't lie for a million dollar prize, been lied to way too many times in my life and choose not to hurt other people in the same way. Your opinion of me doesn't matter, so I'm sure as hell not gonna lose any sleep because "you don't believe me".

Hope you have a nice day.

 

[I<3Microgaming]

I just lost my appetite.

 

[noluckever67]

No luck

That sure is a hardlines story and more so for punters of lottery tickets..Companies like camelot in the UK couldnt pay enough for such advertising .a timely reminder how people MUST NEVER forget to <waste> 1 on a 14million to one shot..I just outlined the odds jen and the chances of winning the one time you didnt put them on makes it mega billions not millions to one and for the encore to be a member of this forum makes it zillions to one...too far fetched sorry...watch pinocchio thats a good film

 

[tencardcharlie]

I just outlined the odds jen and the chances of winning the one time you didnt put them on makes it mega billions not millions to one and for the encore to be a member of this forum makes it zillions to one...

That doesn't make any sense at all.

 

[mikepipe]

That sure is a hardlines story and more so for punters of lottery tickets..Companies like camelot in the UK couldnt pay enough for such advertising .a timely reminder how people MUST NEVER forget to <waste> 1 on a 14million to one shot..I just outlined the odds jen and the chances of winning the one time you didnt put them on makes it mega billions not millions to one and for the encore to be a member of this forum makes it zillions to one...too far fetched sorry...watch pinocchio thats a good film

I dont understand a word.
Or- is there a hidden sense between the lines?

 

[ballysdb]

The only thing kind I can think to say right now is...Sometimes a huge amount of money brings alot of problems for people. If you're family is healthy and for the most part happy, then count your blessings. Hopefully you didn't NEED the money. Of course we all need it but some so much more than others. I have been in Atlantic City so many times with my Mom or my ex and we will walk past someone as they hit a $50k or $100k progressive and what can you do but congratulate them? Of course it does REALLY SUCK!

 

[tim5ny]

OMG!!!! I would want to die!

 

[amatrine]

Re

Not a big story like that, but when I lived in Reno I played keno when I went out to eat. I always played the same four numbers. One night I played an extra, and hit all 4 but the extra, so only got a few bucks instead of a couple hundred. Wasnt millions like that, but it still sucked.

Ama

 

[lojo]

The megamil yesterday was $370,000,000, two winners. Don't know the number of tickets sold since the last 5+1, but I would guess the doubters didn't factor that in

Just be glad you didn't almost get that one. I only missed it by five numbers and a kicker

Everything happens for a reason, and that reason is that all conditions are right. I'd be feeling blessed by the affirmation of the numbers, and proceed cautiously with disposable income from there.

A little tao and i ching never hurts a disciplined gambler in moments like that.

Please share the silver linings that come from this cloud, jenn

 

[kengam]

The megamil yesterday was $370,000,000, two winners. Don't know the number of tickets sold since the last 5+1, but I would guess the doubters didn't factor that in

Just be glad you didn't almost get that one. I only missed it by five numbers and a kicker

Everything happens for a reason, and that reason is that all conditions are right. I'd be feeling blessed by the affirmation of the numbers, and proceed cautiously with disposable income from there.

A little tao and i ching never hurts a disciplined gambler in moments like that.

Please share the silver linings that come from this cloud, jenn

I would guess the news of the mega millions inspired Jen to post. Whatever floats your boat. Ok, now I am bashing. maybe it is because Jen is Canadian and can gamble unlike us Americans.

 

[lojo]

Thats just sour grapes Kengam She posted before the mega win.
I'd be pissed too if my real money was floating

Where are the math minds on the OP's ? of 'what are the odds'? Not the fact she didn't buy a ticket, but the tickets sold in a lotto/return when it gets fat like that. The yearly average EV-'house edge' might be interesting.

Good luck in and out

 

[kengam]

no sour grapes here. The news of the huge mega millions lotto was making headlines everywhere before it was hit. Some of you guys are way too gullible

 

[jenn1381]

Sorry for my absence in my post, but I have been working 15 hour days and quite honestly just been too busy.

No silver lining yet, but we are all healthy (perhaps not happy, but healthy lol). I highly doubt the money would have meant a HUGE difference in our lives anyways, perhaps if it was the 1.5 mill than yes, but the 35k it would have been probably would have just bought a new car which we don't necessarily need anyways. I am a farily firm believer in what is meant to be will be - so it just wasn't meant to be.

As for you kengam, dude I feel sorry for you. You wanna go around judging people you don't even know from adam, well go ahead - your judgements mean nothing at all to me, quite frankly I have MUCH more important things to worry about! I don't even follow the US lottery, why the hell would I, I can't play it, so your theroy about the mega million crap is, well - crap! Didn't even know how much it was worth until I saw a headline online about the fact that it was won. Oh, and BTW - I don't need things to "inspire me to post". If I have something worthwhile to say, or something I wanna share, I post. If I don't, I don't. I don't feel the need to post everyday, or even every week. But, that's cool - say what you wish. You're entitled to your opinions of me, just as I am of you. I'll let you guess what my opinion is of you. But you'd probably still be wrong on that one too

Thanks for the kind words from the rest of ya's... it's nice to have a forum full of people who are mostly supportive and caring.

 

[trips to win]

Well, I sure believe you! I saw the same thing happen a few years ago to an acquaintance of mine in my hometown. I saw his filled out card sitting right there on his counter. He played the same numbers 3 times a week for years. Well, we started partying and the he never took the card to get the ticket. You can guess the rest. It sickens all of us to this day.
I also know some people in Hornell, NY who won the lottery as a group. 6 people on 1 ticket. They won. One winner bought a bar with her share of the winnings. The other 5 winners spent most of their winnings boozing it up in her bar. LOL- guess you could say she turned out to be the real winner of that lottery as the others go back to work at the factory every day and she sits pretty. What a wonderful life.

 

[kengam]

Well, I sure believe you! I saw the same thing happen a few years ago to an acquaintance of mine in my hometown. I saw his filled out card sitting right there on his counter. He played the same numbers 3 times a week for years. Well, we started partying and the he never took the card to get the ticket. You can guess the rest. It sickens all of us to this day.
I also know some people in Hornell, NY who won the lottery as a group. 6 people on 1 ticket. They won. One winner bought a bar with her share of the winnings. The other 5 winners spent most of their winnings boozing it up in her bar. LOL- guess you could say she turned out to be the real winner of that lottery as the others go back to work at the factory every day and she sits pretty. What a wonderful life.

See, now 2 people from this forum had someone close to them have all their numbers come up on the one day they didn't play the lottery. What are the odds of that?