The Lottery

I would like to talk about the Lottery for a little bit.

First, A few examples. I believe you all have been in a raffle, where they take your number or name and put it in a hat then draw the number. If I am right, you would have a 1 in [how many names were put in the hat] odds of winning. So if there were 15 people that would be 1 in 15.

Now the Lottery. The Lottery is very different. People can choose 5 numbers plus a special number and they go into the so-called hat. But then, the computer or the judge using the ping pong ball method, will choose 5 numbers and a special number. If no one matches the judges numbers no one wins. Thats if I remember correctly, a 1 in 125 million or billion chance of winning. Astronomically impossible odds.

Now, what I think.

There is a problem here. The odds are so great in winning the lottery that any gambler in Vegas would not take the odds. Yet people win. With those odds, in my opinion, no one should win in years or decades, yet they do.

Why? If it was in Vegas where the odds are different I would find it a lot easier to say its just luck. But I believe, in my opinion, that there is a point where the odds are so great that not even Luck can overcome them and thats the state of the Lottery.

So other, than luck and divine intervention, what else could be the cause of people winning so often under such impossible odds?

I would say thats a good question.