Do you buy lottery tickets?

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Lottery is a tax on the stupid in the same way speed camera's are a tax on motorists, you have a choice not to pay.

We need a tax on people too lazy and stupid to learn how to use an apostrophe.

[Platypus]

We need a tax on people too lazy and stupid to learn how to use an apostrophe.

Shouldn't this be in the budget thread?

[Zoiderman]

We need a tax on people too lazy and stupid to learn how to use an apostrophe.

The grammar pedantry is strong in this one

[BabyBoomer]

Dreams for sale

BrilloPad and Optimus have the right idea.

Lottery ticket is worth 50p once bought, then 0p after it is checked, plus whatever value you place on your daydreams about winning in the meantime.

To maximise this you should buy one ticket and hold it for 25 weeks before checking it, thus reducing the price of your dreams to 2p/week.

Simples!

Not so simple: you should also pick the least popular numbers (not the least frequent), so that you are less likely to have to share your prizes. These can be calculated, from the number of winners for each individual number over the last n years. However, this set will now be rendered useless by all the CUKers who will now rush out and pick these numbers. So the strategy needs to be adapted, eg by replacing one of the numbers for another.

Is there a Quants person out there who can devise an optimum strategy for this?

This is my plan C, but I don't mind sharing it with you.