Sure it is a sucker's game and the pure math behind it cannot justify buying tickets, I get all of that. I'm going to have to say what I want to say over several posts since my phone is possessed by the devil and fucks with me by erasing what I have written.
Buying it not checked it until it has expired is about the stupidest thing one could do
.
I can't mathematically justify buying lottery tickets, and totally agree it makes no logical sense from a pure math angle.
I've been on both sides of the counter with lottery tickets, worked at a convenience store for awhile, lottery is a huge pain in the (__$__), especially when you are the employee and have people wanting their cigs, you're also try to watch the monitor over the gas pumps to make sure some A- hole isn't doing something really stupid likely smoking a cigarette while pumping gas, and just a lot of people that expect instant service, then you get the regulars that are lottery junkies, you Know many by name or at least face. You're also trying to keep up making 6 different kinds of coffee.
Then you get the regular lottery junkies that want to know what ticket number is slot # 43
The old short bald fucker that likes to play the midday lotto and bases his picks in the afternoon after seeing the early results, then he verbally gives you his nighttime selections , it takes time and you can easily get a line of 5+ people in seconds
Granted it is nothing close to the stress issues an air traffic controller might face, or even a cop, fireman sort when involved in that rare condition when the shit t
Really hits the fan .
Convience store clerks are in fact in danger far more than you'd think, even in the best neighborhoods, there is so little cash there that robbery is pointless, stolen lottery scratch off tickets are not redeemable, you'd get busted real quick that way
The real money is the 100+ cartons of cigs that are worth so much more than the perhaps $200 cash the clerk can access.
SAme philosy robbing a Walmart, there could be $1,000 plus In a cash register , even as much as 3k since the lazy add CSM's won't bother to pick it up from you even if requested repeatedly.
The real money is at the customer service desk conviently located right by the exit doors
You got people sending moneygrams, paying utility bills, cashing paychecks etc. Easily 10k, maybe as much as 50k, much better option than to robbing a bank if you want to risk felony time in prison.