Lotto
Six numbers are drawn from a set of individually numbered balls
with numbers in the range 1–49, as well as a further bonus ball.
Balls, once drawn, are not returned to the draw machine,
therefore each ball (including the bonus ball) can only be drawn
once per Lotto draw. Players choose six different numbers by a
method of their own choosing at the time they purchase a ticket.
Ticket issuing machines can generate a random set of play
numbers as a so–called Lucky Dip. Prizes are awarded to players
who match at least three of the six drawn numbers with
increasing prize value for matching more of the drawn numbers.
In addition to the six drawn numbers, an additional number is
drawn as the Bonus Ball. The bonus ball is only relevant to
those players who match five of the six drawn numbers, whereby
those players matching exactly five of the drawn numbers who
also match the bonus ball receive a larger prize than those
matching just 5 of the drawn numbers. Anyone matching all six
drawn numbers wins a share of the jackpot; the chance of doing
so is 1 in 13,983,816. For players matching at least four of the
drawn balls the prize value is dependent on the total number of
players also matching the same number of balls in that the prize
fund is divided equally between all players matching that number
of drawn numbers. In the event that no player matches all six of
the drawn numbers the jackpot is accumulated into the next Lotto
draw, a so–called Rollover. This accumulation is limited to
three consecutive draws. Rollover is a common occurrence,
happening once every few draws, though a three week roll-over is
a rather less common occurrence having happened only twice to
date.
The price of entry to Lotto is £1 per set of six chosen numbers.
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia |
Lottery
A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the
drawing of lots for a prize. Some governments forbid it, while
others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national
lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of
lottery by governments.
The first signs of a lottery trace back the Han Dynasty between
205 and 187 B.C., where ancient Keno slips were discovered. The
lottery has helped finance major governmental projects like the
Great Wall of China.
Lotteries come in many formats. The prize can be fixed cash or
goods. In this format there is risk to the organizer if
insufficient tickets are sold. The prize can be a fixed
percentage of the receipts. A popular form of this is the
"50-50" draw where the organizers promise that the prize will be
50% of the revenue. The prize may be guaranteed to be unique
where each ticket sold has a unique number. Many recent
lotteries allow purchasers to select the numbers on the lottery
ticket resulting in the possibility of multiple winners.
Lotteries are most often run by governments or local states and
are sometimes described as a regressive tax, since those most
likely to buy tickets will typically be the less affluent
members of a society. The astronomically high odds against
winning have also led to the epithets of a "tax on stupidity",
"math tax" or the oxymoron "voluntary tax" (playing the lottery
is voluntary; taxes are not). They are intended to suggest that
lotteries are governmental revenue-raising mechanisms that will
attract only those consumers who fail to see that the game is a
very bad deal. Indeed, the desire of lottery operators to
guarantee themselves a profit requires that a lottery ticket be
worth substantially less than what it costs to buy. After taking
into account the present value of the lottery prize as a single
lump sum cash payment, the impact of any taxes that might apply,
and the likelihood of having to share the prize with other
winners, it is not uncommon to find that a ticket for a typical
major lottery is worth less than one third of its purchase
price.
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia |
The fact that lotteries are commonly played leads to some
contradictions against standard models of economic rationality.
However, the expectations of some players may not be to win the
game, but the thrill and indulgence in a fantasy of possibly
becoming wealthy become the goal. Even ignoring the thrill
factor, there is the theoretical possibility that the purchase
of a lottery ticket could represent a gain in expected utility,
even though it represents a loss in expected monetary value,
thus making the purchase a rational decision. Insurance, for
instance, represents negative expected monetary value but is not
considered to be a tax on stupidity because it is generally
believed to deliver positive expected utility to the individual.
Lottery tickets are usually scanned in big numbers using
marksense-technology.
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia |