Monday, February 28, 2011

Winning on the Lottery

Whenever I see someone win a good amount on a lottery ticket, it makes me sad a little.

I mean, it's good that they won, but when the person that won hardly plays the lottery, then that's when it begins.

I see this all the time. A customer will play a lottery ticket for the fun of it, or happen to get some instant tickets for his/her birthday.

If they happen to win, great. Right?

Not really. The other day we had this regular customer come in that never plays the lottery. Well, he came in with a $1,000 winning ticket. For some reason we seem to sell a TON of $1,000 ticket winners, but never really anything higher.

But anyways, he came in wanting to know where to cash the ticket. Any amount over $500 has to be cashed at the bank nearby, so I told him where to go and gave him my congratulations.

The next day I see him come in and he's getting more lottery tickets. This was a guy that NEVER bought tickets because he couldn't afford it.

And so this is where it starts. This is where his lottery ticket addiction will start...all because he won $1,000 at our store.

And that's how the lottery draws people in. It's kind of sad. And we see this happen ALL the time.

The people that come in and play $300 worth of tickets a day...well, they won a big amount too a long time ago and their lottery addiction grew in the hopes that they would win again.

What's even worse is that on the back of the lottery tickets they give the hotline number for Gamblers Anonymous. Kinda like saying 'Well, we got you addicted, but here's the number if you want to call and get help. But we think you should play another ticket instead. It might be the big winner this time!"

I hate the lottery.

4 comments:

  1. My fiance likes to write little discouraging messages on the back of our regulars' tickets. Everyone likes him, so he doesn't get bitched at for it.

    I would like to take a highlighter and highlight the Gamblers Anonymous number on every ticket I sell, but since no one likes me there, I'd probably just get written up.

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  2. Here in Canada they have these commercials for the lottery that really make it look like its so easy to win.

    "Imagine the Freedom" is one famous quote. And then they show these people that have won $1000.00 a week for life and how week 47 is a tropical vacation, and week 76 is installing a new pool in the new backyard.

    And then they have the nerve to say, in very fine print: 'please play responsibly'.

    Its an-noy-ying ! ! ! !!

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  3. I've got an addictive personality. Not in a way that once you meet me you can't pull yourself away. But in a way that anything I can get addicted to; I will. Cigarettes, food, exercise.. Which is exactly why I do not gamble.

    It's a shame but these people are adults; they should know better...

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  4. LOL Kind of the same thing as putting the Surgeon General's idiot warnings on the bottom of cigarette packages, huh...xD

    I never do those lottery tickets. I never, NEVER win, and it just annoys me to waste money that way. My mom, on the other hand, is a fish in their barrel. It's really sad, though she does seem to win quite a bit! Maybe she's just lucky that way...

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