Lotta Lottery

A nearby state frequently advertises its lottery with the slogan, "It's a sure bet, you'll have fun." Truth in advertising dictates a translation to, "It's a sure bet, you'll lose money." I have nothing against the lottery or gambling. In fact, I have relatives in education, where lottery profits are invested, so the lottery has been of benefit to our family. In the 20 plus years the lottery has existed, I have gained about $7,000... by not playing it. The only times I purchase lottery tickets are when groups of coworkers go together to buy several tickets when the lottery prize is unusually high. This is simply cheap insurance in case the group strikes it rich. If this were to happen, and I was not in on the pot, I would be the sole employee left in an organization sinking like the Titanic.

On a recent visit to one of our nearby riverboats, where gambling is allowed, as we boarded the boat, we were handed cards which cautioned us to gamble sensibly. Translation: "Gamble just enough to give us a good profit, but don't lose your food, car or rent money." An investment of $1.00 in a slot machine was lost after about five minutes, so we left the boat, feeling fortunate we had not lost more. We then stopped at the on site Ben and Jerry's store for two of their $1.00 waffle cones. We were told their waffle cone machine was out of order, so ordered substitute cones. When handed the bill for $6.92, we inquired about the difference in $6.92 and $2.00, and were told since they had no waffle cones, this was the subsitute. I paid the bill, and as we ate our cones and walked away, I was reminded of the old saying, about a fool and his money being soon parted.