All You Need is a Dollar and a Ludicrously Improbable Dream
Tags: Education, fund, funding, tax burden, taxpayer, taxpayers
While I’m sorry to be a downer, I don’t think you’ll win Powerball. Someone will pick the correct numerical combination, although it’s astoundingly unlikely to be you personally. But playing is like attempting to entice a model from the opposite gender or cheering for a non-Yankees franchise: your remote chances of victory shouldn’t prevent you from trying.
Plus, your odds of at least being close to a Powerball retailer just increased dramatically. WGRZ, which just happens to be carrying the drawing’s results live, has the story about how neighboring states won’t suck up all the jackpot ticket revenue anymore:
New York is now one of 33 states across the country to offer both the Mega Millions and Powerball lottery games. As of last Sunday, players were able to start buying their Powerball tickets for Wednesday’s drawing, which has jumped to 115 million from 107 million due to strong sales.
That means New Yorkers can officially make fun of the 17 states that remain left out. Even better, gamblers who wouldn’t bother with their home state’s relatively trifling prizes can cancel day trips to stockpile chances:
Previously, New York residents had to travel out of state to buy a Powerball ticket, which many people did when the jackpot went really high. Now players are able to take part in four big drawings a week for major jackpots, two for Mega Millions and two for Powerball.
Did people really cross state lines to play a game whose odds of winning are a bit over one in 195 million? It seems hopeful lotto participants could have saved time and gas money by playing the New York lottery; they could have enjoyed hoping to win a measly $20 million or so. But it’s officially moot.
And we can feel good about losing, as at least a portion of the losses fund a worthwhile cause. Namely, buying a ticket amounts to a charitable educational donation:
The New York Lottery Aid to Education contributed over 2.5 billion just in 2008-09, which is over 12% of total state education funding to local districts. 50% of the sales of Powerball and Mega Millions goes toward the fund.
This voluntary contribution would hopefully, although not presumably, lead to a reduced tax burden: instead of throwing more money at public schools in a futile attempt to provoke better academic performances, our leaders could maintain funding levels and let taxpayers keep the difference. While that’s currently beyond improbable in this state, it’s a possibility to hope for if we select financially responsible leaders this November.
Until then, it’s nice to be associated with the good luck ping pong selection process, and not just because Powerball’s Real Letters is one of the funniest official web site pages ever. Their employees’ sense of humor regarding the unfathomably bizarre feedback they receive is marvelous in itself. It’s further proof that it shouldn’t have taken this long for New York to affiliate with a humdinger of a lottery.
People ought to be permitted to bet at will on whatever they want. That right goes beyond state-sponsored drawings and casinos on sovereign territory: private enterprises should be permitted to enter the “gaming” (gambling) business, too. Wagers don’t harm people without their consent: suckers who put down money are only hurting their own wallets’ respective hefts. If the state’s role is to prevent citizens from voluntarily wasting their money, we should ban Snuggie sales, too.
The odds are irrelevant. People who are going to gamble away their children’s insulin money will find a way to squander their wages. That’s regardless of whether they live in a risk-legal state.
As for more casual entrants, Powerball offers an improbable yet affordable chance to daydream about acquiring a hovering castle or gold-plated aircraft carrier. If you don’t anticipate winning, it’s fun to play. And, if you don’t win, there’s always hope that next time will be different.
Slips with randomized or personally significant numbers printed upon them offer a reminder to be excited about life’s potential. If you lose, throw it out, cough up another buck, and try again. For New Yorkers, it’s nice to be able to finally play along for the opportunity to obtain all the currency you could want.
Anthony Bialy is a freelance writer and “Red Eye” Conservative in Western New York. He also writes columns for Smart Girl Nation. Follow Anthony on Twitter.