Tag Archives: lottery

The Unlucky and the Stupid

Most people would think they had it made if they won the lottery. Timothy Elliott probably thought the same thing when he bought a $10 ticket at a Hyannis supermarket that netted him $1 million in the $800 Million Spectacular game. There was only one problem – Timothy was a convicted felon. In October 2006, Timothy pleaded guilty to unarmed robbery of a Cape Cod bank. He was placed on five year’s probation, but unfortunately, for Timothy, he didn’t read the fine print. The terms of his probation state that he “may not gamble, purchase lottery tickets, or visit an … Continue reading →

The Lottery Can Be Good For You

Even if you don’t win, playing the lottery can give you a different sort of payoff — an emotional one. The anticipation and excitement and hope of a lottery win activate exactly the same parts of your brain that an actual win does! Neuroscientists have been investigating the power of anticipation, and when it comes to the lottery and other cash prizes, you’ll still win big even if you don’t hit the jackpot. Think about it for a second — buying that lottery ticket kicks your imagination into gear. Whenever I buy a ticket, I spend a lot of time … Continue reading →

It Could Happen to You (1994)

“It Could Happen to You” is the story of Charlie Lange (Nicholas Cage) a genuinely nice man. He’s a police officer for the New York Police Department, always goes above and beyond the call of duty, is generous with his money, honest to a fault, spends his evenings playing baseball with the disadvantaged children in the neighborhood, and never has a cross word for anyone. His wife, Muriel (Rosie Perez) has decided she can’t take it anymore. Charlie makes a small income and he gives it all away. She’s decided that she wants money, and lots of it. One night … Continue reading →

Great Eight—The Day After The Lucky Sevens

Well, I dug under couch, stuck my hand in between the car seats, rummaged through every pocket in the house and raided my daughter’s piggy bank (okay, I stopped short of raiding her pig) and came up with $3.07. The good news: it was enough money to purchase three lottery tickets. The bad news: I woke up this morning and learned that of the six set of numbers printed on the ticket not one single one (let me repeat, not ONE single one) matched any of the winning digits. So much for lucky dates. July 7, 2007 was a bust … Continue reading →

Lightning Can Strike Twice

You know that old lottery saying: “You have to play to win.” Well, there is a woman in New York whose lottery saying should be: “You win when you play.” Valerie Wilson, a worker at a Long Island deli recently told a local newspaper that she won $1 million from a state lottery game. Now, that in and of itself may not sound like big news, only this isn’t the first time Wilson has hit the jackpot. The paper reports that she is the same woman who won $1 million on a lottery scratch-off game four years ago. “The first … Continue reading →