I didn't win the lottery last night.

[Dave the Smeghead]

psmiffy has the right calculation.

A lesson to the wanna-wins.

Many moons years ago, before the National Lottery was even a dream, I did the Football Pools.


You had to chose 12 matches that would end in a score draw. Get 8/12 right and you got a first dividend of the prize money, usually measured in several tens of thousands of pounds. Enough to buy several houses and cars, plus a lot of holidays at the time.
You got:-
3 points for a score draw.
2 points for a no-score draw and 1 for an away?? win IIRC.
Anywho 24 points= a big win.

So on Sunday morning I'm listening to the results and we get, to the point where I have 21 points with 2 more of my matches still to come up, and one of those is a home win, 0 points, and the last is a no-score draw!

Then the announcer says that unusually there were only 7 score draws, which means that my 23 points will get a first dividend.

I rushed to the local call box to ring the claims number and cannot get through, eventually I give up for the day swearing to stay off work tomorrow and ring them then. Only for the then Mrs Byegad to tell me that she has heard on the radio news that there were 7 score draws and no less than 10 no score draws and claims calls are not needed!

They sent out our first dividend in postage stamps as the amount was too small to send a cheque. Nobody got a second dividend that week.

My Dad used to do the pools. One week he was very excited and was promising to buy me a new car - apparently he had enough points on the pools to win and the previous week the same number of points won £25,000 (an awful lot of money at the time). He got his claim in and then found out that he had actually won £125. So there was no new car! Admittedly I think my Dad was earning something like £50 per week so it helped but nothing like the £25K would have.
I never understood how the pools worked and am pretty glad I have never had to find out.
I had a lottery win this week - £12.50! Woohoo - retirement beckons.....

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Having never bought a lottery ticket I think my odds of winning are a bit slim.

If you totted it up at a ticket per lottery not bought you must be £1000's up now and no chance of a losing streak.

I'm in a small syndicate at work but consider it more donating a tenner to charity every couple of months than hoping for a miracle.

+1 to @Smokin Joe too. £80k could change my life significantly.

 

[s7ephanie]

i'm going to win it next week, i think that every week !!!!

 

[matiz]

I think my chances of winning this week are 50/50 either I Win or it or I don't

 

[MrPie]

Eh? The odds of winning is 50:50 init? You either win or you don't

 

[MrPie]

Oi Matiz, you beat me to it!!!!!!!

 

[postman]

I was just six number off last night.

 

[gavroche]

Since it has gone up to £2, I don't bother anymore. I didn't really do it much when it was £1 to be fair . Anything I have had in my life, I had to work for it, I am used to it so why change a habit of a life time? On the other hand, my wife does it every now and again so if she was to win, I would be in the money as well wouldn't I? Clever move.

 

[Berk on a Bike]

If you're talking Euromillions the odds are 1 in 116,531,800. Scratchcards are a much better bet. Buy one of those instead. In fact, buy two. Or a dozen.