National Lottery
 

Is anyone still doing the Lottery? The reason I ask is that since the ticket price went up to £2.00 there is hardly any increase in the jackpot. So it seems that lots of people have stopped doing it. Also they have introduced prizes of £20000 to 100 players each week.But who are these winners as there is no list telling us.I feel that Camelot have made a big mistake in all this and I am seriously considering pulling out of it. Does anyone agree?

Re: National Lottery
 

I still do it, used to get 4 lucky dips on a Saturday, now I get 2.

Re: National Lottery
 

I stopped when it was increased,on principle was brassed off also wi a lot of the crap it funds n good things it don't.

Re: National Lottery
 

I stopped when it went up. I do the Health Lottery now

Re: National Lottery
 

I gave up in the first year. I didn't have a single win, not even a tenner. I'll stick to Premium Bonds. At least you get your stake back.

Re: National Lottery
 

i dont play it regular i just do an occasional euro lottery when its a big one

richard branson offered to run the national lottery on two occassions as a non proffit deal yet the americans still got to run it and make money for themselves

im pretty sure a lot more causes could be helped if the percentage camalot take was used as well but im sure hands were greased and envolopes of cash exchanged to make sure camalot got and remained able to keep the contract

very nice also for camalot to increase the price of teh lottery knowing that times are hard and more people are gioing to be tempted to try their luck

Re: National Lottery
 

Surprisingly Camelot is totally owned by a Canadian teachers pension fund so 'Good on you' Eric. Canadian pension funds own quite a lot of UK businesses.
They were only supposed to take 5% of the total takings of which half a percent was profit, 4.5% running costs. So their charges don't seem excessive, it's where a lot of the money that annoys me.

National Lottery
 

I used to do two lucky dips on a Sat', now I do one occasionally, they've basically cut down on the chances for getting the jackpot.
Now we seem to have one entry for the lottery & one entry for a raffle ticket max prize £20,000.
Not exactly, value for doubling the price is it?

Re: National Lottery
 

Me too Dave

Re: National Lottery
 

The 100 20,000 are named on the lottery web site Jim

Re: National Lottery
 

Yes Jay. The numbers are on there but how do I know if someone has actually won £20000,if their names are not listed.I want to see 100 names otherwise I will suspect that a lot of £20000 prizes have gone into the back pockets of Camelot directors.I am just naturally suspicious, because it happens all the time where money is concerned.Do you know anyone who has won? No, neither do I !!!

Re: National Lottery
 

Has someone changed my name and not told me.:D:p

Re: National Lottery
 

All lotto winners of the lottery have a right for anonymity irrespective if theyve won £25 or £150 million. I understand that all non claimed prizes are added to the good causes fund

Re: National Lottery
 

I also do the health lottery twice a week. Still £1 a line and have had better luck with this one. Only small wins but better than nothing. :)

Re: National Lottery
 

Well if I won you wouldn't see my name nor a lot more, I know a lot of people who tick the no publicity box on the ticket;)

National Lottery
 

So?

These people that want 'No Publicity', tell you about it even before they've won ?

I can't imagine them keeping their gobs shut!

:(

Re: National Lottery
 

I didn't tell you when I hit the jackpot 2 years ago;)

National Lottery
 

I didn't tell you...

Re: National Lottery
 

No need, the big shouty fire red Ferrari & Flash Porsche cabriolet sitting on the drive might just give you a clue! That's as long as they haven't already moved off to the Caribbean. ;)

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Never played, had no idea the price had gone up. Know a lot of people who do though, including himself, even though I discourage him....:rolleyes:

Re: National Lottery
 

i work in a tesco express store and the fella that delivers our milk in the morning won the 20,000 raffle 2 weeks ago, i have seen the picture of the cheque camelot sent him on his phone, also the health lottery are following suit and will up prices to £2. personally the way i see it is the national lottery has allways been £1 since the day it launched while the price of everything else has gone up so it was inevitable that the price would one day go up

Re: National Lottery
 

My guess is, they are hoping that anyone that plays set numbers every week won`t want to ditch half their lines in case them numbers come up. Luckily for me i`ve always done lucky dips, unluckily for me, they haven`t been very lucky.

http://www.directsmiley.com/cat/10/10_12_8.gif

Re: National Lottery
 

Before the lottery, i can't recall the treble chance ever going up? so that shoots down yer inevitable call.

Re: National Lottery
 

We played 4 lines right up to the change, using the same numbers, we then dropped 2 lines the ones we couldn't remember:D I had a line made up of dates as did Joan so we dropped the other two:rolleyes:

Re: National Lottery
 

The numbers also appear on Ceefax to Jim

Re: National Lottery
 

is it still 1 in 14 million chance of getting 6 numbers?

Re: National Lottery
 

How would the odds change just because the ticket price has changed.:confused:

Re: National Lottery
 

It wont.
I was trying to highlight the foolishness of playing it.

National Lottery
 

What a foolish way of doing it.

Re: National Lottery
 

Sorry DavO, didn`t pick up on that, but there is always that chance, and that`s what the lottery is, a game of chance. Slim odds but it`s the only way most of us will be millionaires.

Re: National Lottery
 

Billions to one chance of a single sperm hitting the egg, billions of things that could have affected you from womb to intelligent thought...estimated 3.5 billion football supporters..2-5k of whom support Stanley in some form or another...

Yet here you are..

1 in 14 million don't seem that much now does it?

Re: National Lottery
 

In Davos case seems like and undersight Guinness:D

National Lottery
 

The lottery is unique in that it is a tax on poor people, that they willingly pay, indeed they queue up each week to pay. Not only that but it's a voluntary tax that no one has to pay. The vast majority of people playing (paying) have little or no money and are, like religion being sold nonsense on a false hope.

We can call the chance of winning zero, because statistically that's what it is (one in 14m).

My suggestion would be to avoid it, as you won't win.

The only upside is that some of the donations return to the community - I think Blackburn Road is about to get a £20m revamp but I can't recall if that is lottery funded or EU grant.

Re: National Lottery
 

As far as i`m aware, a tax is a compulsory payment (although there are those who do their best to avoid it);), so no, the lottery isn`t a tax.
And obviously there is a chance of winning, as most weeks there is a winner, and if not the money gets added to the next draw, which eventually is won.
Myself, I spend £4 a week, if i don`t win, I won`t miss that £4. If I was in a position where that £4 would be missed then I wouldn`t put it on the lottery.
The lottery for us minions are the only realistic way we would ever live a life of luxury, so I for one will keep playing and crossing my fingers. I don`t expect to win the jackpot, just hope.

Re: National Lottery
 

I dont do it now, but good on yer, Easton will continue to look down on the peasants, he don't know any other way n should be pitied.

Re: National Lottery
 

My thoughts entirely G

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Come on, gpick, look on the bright side.

You could become a politician, a man of God running a bank( high[?] on fringe benefits), a bank robber(same thing as a bank board member but more socially acceptable), a drug dealer(get in quick, when they legalize it you can start your own franchise), an NHS manager, boss of a social service organisation(then get fired and get even richer!), a union boss.
None of these seem to demand much brains, effort or even good character references. They all seem to have a life of luxury.

The world's your oyster- think big.

Re: National Lottery
 

I`m not selfish enough to become a banker,politician or any of that lot.:D

5 and bonus will do me. I`m not greedy.

Re: National Lottery
 

There are some serious chips on shoulders being carried by some folk on this forum.

However if really believe the lottery is the best way to make millions then good luck to you. In all but name it is a tax.

Re: National Lottery
 

Maybe not the best, but for some the only way. I`m not that fussed about millions, just a nice win will do me, and for a few quid a week i`m willing to take that risk.
I`ve known a few people who`ve had decent sized wins, not on national lottery though. There were two ex oxo employees, one who won over 100k on bingo, one won about 250k on pools and a mate of mine won 18k on his works lottery so it is possible. Just a matter of being lucky, but if you aint in it, you aint going to win it.

Re: National Lottery
 

Fair enough. I've never heard of anyone winning.

I did see that that Britons threw away 46 billion pounds on gambling machines last year, up 50% in 4 years (today's mail). Most of that will be in the form of those roulette machines you see in every bookmaker these days. Dangerous habit that, and the fact that you can play up to 300 pounds a spin is rediculous in my view.

Whenever I visit a bookies these machines are busy with people who can't afford to lose playing roulette.

National Lottery
 

How do you know they can't afford it?

Nasty habit that, deciding who can and can't afford to do something just from a glance.
A touch of superiority complex is showing through perhaps?

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You're one of the biggest chips Less. Let it go, you'll feel better.

National Lottery
 

In your opinion, which is of no value to me whatsoever.

Re: National Lottery
 

As a concerned citizen I did some research for you less - a search for "anger management accrington" returns this place:

Phoenix Holistics, Accrington | COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES - Yell

Just across the street from me. You should check it out - I think it always good to support local business wherever possible.

Re: National Lottery
 

Thes guys should have gone to Phoenix

Man attacked bookies after ?fast? roulette loss - Edinburgh Evening News

Jail for disgruntled punter who set fire to bookies? shop - Yorkshire Post

Re: National Lottery
 

Well i aint never had a chip Easton, I just don't like you,simple as.

Re: National Lottery
 

From above link - "Sheffield Crown Court heard that Bainbridge, of Arbourthorne Road, had at the time reduced his drinking to 100 pints a week."

I don`t think anger is this chaps only problem.

Re: National Lottery
 

Playing the lottery only becomes a problem if you can't afford to play it, much the same applies to any form of gambling , I've done the pools all my adult life and have had quite a few nice little wins over the years, also played the lottery since it started and also had a few wins,

Re: National Lottery
 

Isn't it strange? You look down on me from your ivory tower, offer advice I or in fact anyone neither want or need. Yet if you really were successful, you would be far too busy to bother with something that you would prefer to scrape off the soles of your green wellies before walking into your Country Estate.

Not got a Country Estate yet? Well throw another serf on the fire whilst you work out your next cheap and free publicity scheme, I'm sure there are more than just our Council workers that you can use to get your name in the paper for doing nothing different to what others do all the time.
:rolleyes:

Re: National Lottery
 

Don`t do bookies or casinos or any other gambling (except for last place I worked had a sweep for grand national which I took part in each year), so no real gambling problem for me, and so long as the money you spend isn`t shopping/bills money it`s not a big deal really.

Re: National Lottery
 

It's sad that your measure of success Less is how much money someone has. I wouldn't use such a narrow measure to define it as there's no great correlation between wealth and happiness. For example I wouldn't swap my lot with these people Couple who scooped £148million lottery jackpot to divorce just over a year since their win | Mail Online

A country estate?, maybe, but not yet. As I've said before there's a huge difference between cash in hand and asset value in a company. I have plenty of the latter and not so much of the former.

On the papers, I don't seek them out, nor make up their stories. I don't get anything from such nonsense other than perhaps increased supply costs. I agree there's nothing unique in renovating buildings in Accy, but that's a hobby and a long term investment not a business.

How your inferiority complex plays into that I've no idea. You do though aggressively rant and rave about pretty much anything and everything I say hence my suggestion that you should seek professional help in the area of anger management.

National Lottery
 

What a load of bull.

Re: National Lottery
 

What you fail to grasp is that between us we have been/are ex-pats, property owners/landlords, business owners, lived and worked abroad, served in the army, air force or navy, married, divorced, single, gay, straight, conspiracists, scientists, grumpy old men/women and outright looneys.

Most of us have seen it, done it and worn the proverbial t-shirt threadbare, we just don't feel the need to boast or brag about it whilst chucking in an ill disguised free plug for how wonderfully wealthy/worldlywise/philanthropic we are.

Around here 10 bob millionaires are two a penny, you need to realise that you have done nothing that collectively, we haven't. I doubt that any one of us feels inferior to any other poster.

Put down your Campari, pull up a stool, order a pint, preferably in a dirty glass, you never know you just may get past 50 without having a heart attack and enjoy ranting, raving and howling at the moon like the rest of us.

Re: National Lottery
 

I won 2 £25 since it went up.:)