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The reputation for good luck runs strong at Lichine's Liquor and Deli on South Land Park Drive. The California Lottery website lists Lichine's as the luckiest lottery retailer in Sacramento.

Inside Lichine's this morning, the lottery terminals were running at full speed, trying to keep up with the demand. A line of 120 customers wrapped around the inside of the store, stretched outside and along two sides of the neighboring vacant Hollywood Video store.

The Mega Millions jackpot for tonight's drawing is estimated at $640 million.

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Conversation Express your views, debate, and be heard with those in your area closest to the issue.

Mark Bean

March 30, 2012 | 1:58 PM

Idiots.

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Casey Kirk

March 30, 2012 | 2:29 PM

I guess I'm an idiot too!

Love that you posted this, Ron. Very relevant since everybody I know is talking about how they are going to spend their earnings :)

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TWRL

March 30, 2012 | 2:49 PM

I could say the same about people who drink, smoke, or do drugs. But I do not.

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Mark Bean

March 30, 2012 | 3:15 PM

Sorry, I meant good luck.

Lotteries sell the hope of winning huge sums of money at an astronomically high odds against winning. Therefore only people, who do not have much money, are more likely to buy lottery tickets for a better life or to pull themselves out of poverty. Thus, the people who need their hard earned money the most are most likely fooled.

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Casey Kirk

March 30, 2012 | 3:20 PM

Well I certainly fit in the category of people without much money and totally agree with what you're saying.

I should probably put my five dollars towards gas or food but I've never played the Lottery so my thought is "why the heck not"!

If (or should I say "when"?) I don't win, I hope whoever does will put a large chunk of it towards a good cause!

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Brandon Darnell

March 30, 2012 | 3:34 PM

There are approximately 176 million different number combinations. At $1 per ticket, if you had that much money, you would be guaranteed to have a ticket with the winning numbers. Once you took the tax hit, you would be far ahead money-wise. However, if more people hit the jackpot, your winnings would go down, or you would end up losing money.

So, do you have $176 million?

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Melissa Corker

March 30, 2012 | 3:45 PM

I, too, fall into the category of high-hopes-low-funds... and I'm at peace with that. I could have bought a small latte with my $2 but I opted for 'hope' instead. (Sorry Brandon, I didn't have the $176 million to go all out...)

If my hope should see me through to a large windfall, I'd be happy to make a donation to whatever cause you think is most worthy, Mark. (Along with the other causes already have on my list). It's the least a new gazillionaire should do. :-)

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Geoff Samek

March 30, 2012 | 4:15 PM

As an occasional indulgence the marginal utility earned from the hope of winning is likely greater than the economic opportunity lost by spending money on that ticket. Regular gambling of any sort however is a detriment to all, rich and poor alike.

The concept of Utility in economics can provide a reasonable rationale for an occasional lottery ticket purchase. You can read more about Utility as a quantifiable measure of satisfaction and an economic principle on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility

Also you can ask co-founder of the Sacramento Press Ben Ilfeld, who was an econ major and can probably improve my rudimentary explanation of the principle as applied to lottery tickets.

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Heath Buckmaster

April 2, 2012 | 9:44 AM

There was a funny comment on the radio (I think) - you're more likely to "melt in your pajamas" than win the Mega Millions.
I'm not exactly sure what melting in my pajamas entails, but why risk it ;-).

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