play the lottery = set your money on fire

your chances of winning most multi-state lotteries vary between 80 million and 120 million to 1. that's a number high enough that most people can't even imagine it. lottery organizations count on that vagueness to sucker mostly poor & middle class folks into spending a sizable portion of their income for nothing every week.

the odds that you will become infected with flesh-eating bacteria is 1 in 1 million - 120 times more likely than winning the lottery.

how many people do you know that have been hit by lightning? you are 45 times more likely to die from being hit by lightning than to win.

finally, according to space.com, you are 450,000 times more likely to die from an asteroid collision in 2029.

but your strong desire to win - that is, your gambling addiction ("i only spend x dollars a week. i only buy them for entertainment. i can stop any time i want." see how pathetic you sound?) is why almost every state now has a lottery: it's a proven source of revenue, and states use 40% - 70% of it for their general funds.

you're not alone: lotteries are an addiction for 1 out of 3 people. it's yet another fine example of the monkey mind at work. as far as we're concerned, the state might as well be selling heroin.