The jackpots are so very high. The chance to put down a buck or two and walk away impossibly rich is alluring. I wasn’t sure if I could get beyond the amusement of the fact that this week is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week (a little awkward, no?) - as it says right on my Mega Millions ticket - but I did and made a late afternoon dash to the one place near my work that I knew sold tickets, worried, but kind of hoping (for forced rationality’s sake) the shop was closed. It was not and I have to admit to buying into the madness by purchasing 3 plays for tonight’s record Mega Millions drawing and 2 plays for tomorrow’s respectable $57 million California Super Lotto jackpot drawing. I don’t expect to win, but, well, to quote the lottery slogan that I usually find horrifying - you can’t win if you don’t play. (You can, of course, lose miserably by playing, but no need to go into that.) The lottery has worse odds than just about any game in Vegas, but if you can take it for a lark, a bit of entertainment, it’s all right.

p.s. This all makes me think of (as I always do) that great The Simpsons episode involving a fervor over huge lottery jackpot, the best part of which is when people start checking out Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” from the library, only to discover it’s not quite as helpful as they presumed.

Posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 at 7:57 pm in Random.
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