Quote from: Bluto on August 22, 2013, 08:10 pmI know you were told that there would be no math but there is math.The geometric probability distribution is the one that we are looking at. If the prize value is greater in value than 16*the cost of the play then it is a good deal.Assuming it's evenly distributed.Pardon me, but who on Earth would run a lottery when the odds favor the customer and the vendor will steadily lose money over time? That's kind of the opposite of what casinos generally use as their business model, ya know.Yes, the implications of this are that the house will always win: therefore you shouldn't gamble, ever, unless you're just doing it for the entertainment value. That's fine. Just expect to lose everything you walk in with as the price of your fun. It's a saying for a reason: "the house always wins." They really always do, eventually.