Am I normal?

Reply #42

fish40 — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 02:44:26 GMT

I am officially finished with all lottery products, played my final two $2 tickets and both were losers. My addiction did start with winning $200 on a $2 card so I wanted to end with one. I will still be gambling but it will be inside of a casino where I get free comps and can spend hours there for very little money instead of thousands when I was playing scratchers. I wish everyone the best of luck if they continue playing but beware, the lottery is a business and it's run by our state who has... [ More ]

Reply #41

fish40 — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 04:48:36 GMT

Smart, plus you don't need the extra stress which comes along with scratchers. I played again, yesterday and today and lost $41 in total. Not even one decent win but that's the way it should be.

Reply #40

JAMORA — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 07:33:00 GMT

I've quit scratch offs altogether....odds suck....

I think the thought pattern goes, if I have a line in the water I might catch a fish. problem is, if the fish aren't there you're wasting your time and bait($)....

Draw games give me more entertainment,, which is what lottery should be.

Reply #39

Funtimz — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 07:02:11 GMT

Is he the one on his YouTube channel saying that if he won that he would give a portion of the prize to one of his viewers

Reply #38

fish40 — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 18:10:16 GMT

@ Dracos, I would love to buddy up so we can keep track of our days clean or if we have an urge. The last time I played was on 11/28 at that gas station where I paid my FPL bill. This event is still replaying in my head like a bad nightmare.

@ Elina, will do! Thank you so much for caring. I am at the store now returning a cell phone I bought on Black Friday so I can have cash for another week or until I get my check.

Reply #37

dmexport — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 18:06:15 GMT

You just got to look at the odds

Think about it this way the new 25$ Cash blowout game has odds of winning the 500$ prize 1 in 1648.00. Thats almost 42,000 DOLLARS WORTH OF TICKETS just for one 500$ winner... that is so criminal but what can we do because the lottery is a MONOPOLY and every year they get more greedy and make odds of winning worse and worse it really is a crime....

Also think of it this way to win the top prize its usually 1 in 5 million. The odds that the ticket

Reply #36

ElinaSammy2081 — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 17:51:48 GMT

Don't leave you should keep us posted with your results. You should buddy up with someone for accountability.

Reply #35

Dracos — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 15:31:48 GMT

You've received some great advice from some veterans here, Fish. I'm pledging to quit scratchoffs together so if you need an accountability buddy let me know. I'm on day 3 of no scratchoffs. I think going cold turkey is the way to do it.

I agree that if you can control and satisfy your gambling through the casino, that's a better alternative for you. I know you feel bad about losing that much of your savings, but consider it a valuable lesson learned. You're still very young, and have ma... [ More ]

Reply #34

PikaPal4ever — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 03:46:42 GMT

Good luck in your goal of not spending money on scratch tickets. If you need someone to talk too, you can post here.

Reply #33

fish40 — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 01:36:32 GMT

$1 is all you need to win big, my first ever scratcher was $1 and it won me $20. I should of stopped forever after that, but I will live and learn from my mistakes and greediness. I will visit the casino but never again will I play the lottery in any form. I had $20K in my hand from hard work and saving since 2009 that is now gone, which is my fault from being compulsive.

I want to thank everyone who took their time to post some advice. My parents would be so upset if they knew, they are hard... [ More ]

Reply #32

ElinaSammy2081 — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:49:13 GMT

Now everything makes sense when his account was canceled in LP he stopped posting in YouTube oh well. I came to the conclusion he had a gambling problem it was too many videos uploaded and too much money spent on those cards and there was no profit made.

Don't get me wrong Fish40 I love to gamble and I love the lottery, but I control my brain not the lottery. I know that when you win you get this high and it's the best feeling in the world knowing you won. I don't judge you but you have contr... [ More ]

Reply #31

Ralphie762 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 23:58:01 GMT

I remember that, he was posting a lot of videos and then attempted to sell books. I'm always suspicious when someone posts a video or a link to a video...there's always a reason behind it.

Wasn't there someone who created a similar, albeit fake username

Reply #30

fish40 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 17:30:15 GMT

I agree, casinos have been a lot less stressful for me. What happened a few days ago was I scratched for a few hours at a time inside a 7/11, found a big winner which broke me even and went home. I must of played over $1,500 but kept finding $100 winners. The night before I lost $500 I found a $500 winner after spending $400 or so, went to the casino and made $180 and left.

Woke up, went to the store to pay my power bill and ended up being killed with losing tickets, over $500 worth with not

Reply #29

Chris$ — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 16:24:44 GMT

His account was cancelled because he was attempting to sell books of tickets to people on here based on the assumption that there might be 1 major jackpot ticket in these books. and some people looked like they were going to buy them at an inflated price. I'm pretty sure that's what got him kicked off of here

Reply #28

GetReal720 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 15:36:11 GMT

Some people have an addictive personality, some people just get hooked on the

excitement of really believing that big winner is coming. Ask yourself why you need

to continue gambling. Find the root cause and address it.

I've been there, although not nearly to the dollar amount you have... but I've done it.

I've already stood in a store for over an hour scratching ticket by ticket out of a pack.

I've already bought several tickets, lost, went right back to the store, went hom... [ More ]

Reply #27

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 06:25:04 GMT

I like to have $150. $100 is the amount for an average person, but a string of bad luck could cause you to lose it quickly. I'd bring $150 and make it your limit. Roulette isn't my favorite game, unfortunately it's designed so perfectly the the house has an edge over any strategy you can use. I've tried lots of different bet combos, picking 4 or 5 numbers next to each other on the wheel and trying to hit a 35 to 1 shot along with a row, and some other obscure stuff. You can make money in the sho... [ More ]

Reply #26

fish40 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 06:10:05 GMT

If you can't make money with $100 in a casino then you should leave, agree? That's what the security guy told me when I asked him about what he spends. I am staying away from slots, do you like Roulette or any other table games

Reply #25

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 05:58:58 GMT

I live in Colorado and the $50 tickets are absolutely horrible. Never bought one, never will. It's filled with $50 and $100 prizes, but the $200 and up are worse odds than the $20 ones. Most casino games do have a high house edge, but that's how they make money. That's why I play Blackjack and Poker. Also there's no real startegy to slots, they are completely random. A microchip shuffles through thousands of possible combinations per seconds, and when you pull the lever or hit bet, it'll stop on... [ More ]

Reply #24

fish40 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 05:52:56 GMT

The day I lost $37 at the casino I met a gambler who sat next to me and whenever he won, he'd cashout and slowly insert one $20 at a time like some sort of strategy and it worked. He left with like $300 and started with $120. I think we should educate ourselves a lot before stepping foot in a casino because a lot of games in there have a high house edge. The scratchers are even worse, but I am not in debt. The money I lost was from my savings which still sucks and hopefully you are not in debt a... [ More ]

Reply #23

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 05:27:46 GMT

If I play in a big poker tourney, I can be at a casino all day. I think the longest I was there was Noon til 10 PM when I got 3rd in a 100 player tourney. That lasted a long time because of rebuys. I visit the casino once or twice a month. Usually closer to once. It bothers me for awhile if I lose, but you just have to calm down and keep a budget, whether it's scratch tickets or the casino. The best strategy for you might be to buy some tickets and go home, that way you don't have access to more... [ More ]

Reply #22

fish40 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:52:18 GMT

The first casino trip I was with him, the next three times I was alone. He is a college student and when I visited him once, we went to buy some groceries and he mentioned that he used to buy tickets from the machine but always lost in the end. Unlike me, he can buy 1 $25 ticket and walk away if it's a dud. He no longer plays at all because he needs that money for school expenses and will be very mad if he sees me waste my money on more tickets. He told me if I have an urge to play to just go tr... [ More ]

Reply #21

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:36:39 GMT

Casinos are by far more skill based than scratchers (unless you poach people who lose on tickets for a living). I have went 14 times to the casino this year and won 12 times. Part of it is good luck, but a lot of it is playing the right games. Seems like going with your brother has kept you under control and been less stressed. Let me ask you this? Does your brother buy scratchers? Also, does he ever go with you to buy them? I would go with him if the experience is night and day without him. It

Reply #20

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:28:56 GMT

The guy seems like a legit awesome person. I wonder why he did stop posting on youtube and lottery post? Hope he's okay.

Reply #19

ElinaSammy2081 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:19:03 GMT

He was in lottery post and got his account got cancelled I don't know why?He stopped posting on his YouTube channel three months ago. Maybe he did struck a jackpot and kept silent, I wonder

Reply #18

fish40 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:18:15 GMT

I've had more luck and a better/less stressful gambling experience in a casino but that's just me. The first time I went to a casino was with my brother and we went for dinner, spent $20 or so on slots and left. The next couple times I went on my own:

1st Trip: $180 Up

2nd Trip: $180 Up

3rd Trip: $37 Down but I played for a few hours and had a good time

I felt like smashing a window in this gas station after the clerk had all of my cash, they could see I had a problem running in and... [ More ]

Reply #17

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:09:14 GMT

I'll have to check him out. I've heard the name before and been recommended his videos once or twice, but haven't watched them. I'll definitely take a look now.

Actually i just looked and must of subscribed to him a long time ago and just forgot about his channel. Will have to see how he does.

Reply #16

ElinaSammy2081 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:02:11 GMT

There is this guy in YouTube his name is Donafello he spends an outrageous amount of money in scratch cards and you can see it's not worth it he spends more money than he wins money. He is looking for that ultimate jackpot and hasn't found it. He buys books and nothing.

Reply #15

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 03:46:11 GMT

This is to Fish, two things. First, you will probably never get that $20,000 back. You could hit a big prize, but if you chase and buy rolls or lots of $20 tickets, your losses will more then likely accumulate. Buy in moderation as said on here, and set a budget as well. I would suggest $25-$30 a day. Second, always put half of what you win away in a savings. Never spend this money on tickets again. Save it for things you need or want besides scratch tickets. Never get into it to spend on scratc... [ More ]

Reply #14

Ralphie762 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 03:35:00 GMT

About a decade ago I would go out to lunch with a co-worker, and after lunch he'd stop by the local grocery store to pick up a few scratch-off tickets. At the time I had no idea what they were or how to play but I went ahead and bought a few as well.

Eventually it became a habit with the two of us and we'd even go to other boroughs after work to buy the 'hot' tickets. Neither of us ever won big. We also never spent big.

I eventually left that job and started to buy tickets on my own and no... [ More ]

Reply #13

fish40 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 02:34:45 GMT

Thank you for the replies. I know my problem is not because of the lottery but it doesn't help when I buy gas or milk, or even go to the mall and there's a bin full of scratchers. $200 cost me over $20K, $40K was the amount of tickets I've probably scratched in total. I've only purchased two books, the first one was around $545 out of $600 back and the second was $350 out of $600. These were $20 cards, the old and new Gold Rush series.

I used to be a real good saver/penny pincher, my goal was... [ More ]

Reply #12

Soledad — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 01:23:24 GMT

Everybody's giving you strong advice. No you are not normal. There's an old school player here who says something like this, small frequent wins is the way to play and make money, etc etc. I'm paraphrasing. You'll never win by losing large amounts. Think how hard it is to just get a little at times. So you see where I'm going. Put your mind on something else that you decided wasn't important because of scratching. Decide that's what you want to think about instead. You'll get over it. Trust me I... [ More ]

Reply #11

ElinaSammy2081 — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 01:06:49 GMT

dear Fish40 I am sorry to be the one to tell you this it but there is another reason to your gambling problem and you are blaming it on the lottery. Another thing is you have to believe in yourself and know you are strong enough to walk away the reason you are not winning is because you are stressing yourself and putting yourself in worse place by spending your money. The more negative feelings you have the more you lose money. You need help you need to join and get back on track you need to be

Reply #10

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:54:31 GMT

Also, to add to my original reply, I'm now over $1600 ahead at the casino this year now that I play with my Dad, $350 ahead this year on scratchers since playing with my Mom occasionally, and $340 ahead on Daily and yearly fantasy sports now that I play with two of my best friends every year. It helps not go on tilt and have a lot of fun with people I care about. I don't know if this would help you relax, but I would suggest this. I think playing with friends and family keeps you from snapping a... [ More ]

Reply #9

PikaPal4ever — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:28:27 GMT

Not sure if this will help you, but I will give a suggestion. I'm a compulsive gambler, I can spend a ton of money on BlackJack, Poker, or Scratch Tickets on a whim. The way I can control myself is gamble with a friend or family member. I know this sounds weird, but it usually keeps me in line and not wanting to do stupid things in front of them. For example, I won't make $50 bets at the Blackjack table, I won't go on tilt in Poker and put $100 in a real hand on top pair, and most importantly, i... [ More ]

Reply #8

fish40 — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 21:12:15 GMT

Sorry guys but I did it again. Yesterday, after paying my FPL bill I ended up burning over $500 on scratchers. Now I am stuck with no money until my next check which isn't for another week or so. The casino never did this to me, I could last a few hours in a casino with $30-50 and have a great time but with the lottery I am just loosing so much in so little time! I keep telling myself that one day they will pay me back everything that I've lost which is well over $20K but it looks like I am just... [ More ]

Reply #7

fish40 — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 16:14:45 GMT

He was a store owner, his biggest hit was $50K but then he ended up loosing a lot more. This was part of a documentary I watched about the state lotteries, a good flick if you have some spare time.

Reply #6

Dracos — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 16:05:33 GMT

You're very reflective, and extremely intelligent. I know you're going to be fine.

Wow, I haven't seen that video before. Now that's an insane amount to spend on scratch tickets! Did he hit big, or did he just use all of his disposable income to keep buying tickets

Reply #5

fish40 — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 15:50:50 GMT

Thanks Dragon for that sound advice.

I am not a gamer, the only person I know who has a gambling problem is my step brother. I have heard of those stories, one ticket is all you need to win and buying packs or being compulsive will not increase my odds. I am not rich or well off by any means, I scratched away money that was saved for starting my own business and now I cannot do that. Every time I won $500 or $100 but spent $600 or $150, I'd just buy more and end up loosing it all. The drive b... [ More ]

Reply #4

Dracos — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 12:16:14 GMT

Well said Dragon.

@ Fish, ah cool! I was just down in South, FL for work and spend a couple months down in Broward area but drove up to West Palm Beach alot. Every gambling story starts off with the person finding some type of big win. Are you a gamer? I'm a gamer, and I've noticed that gamers can sometimes be hooked quickly on lotteries. Fortunately, we have some very amazing people who use this forum who are swift to give good advice.

The best advice I've received is to cut back, a... [ More ]

Reply #3

Dragonsofra — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:14:29 GMT

I would say you're normal because what you described is overwhelmingly the consensus of most lotto players, at one point or another. Scratchers are fast, more engaging than drawing games, and have powerful marketing strategies. The ticket advertises itself and becomes branded into your mind, while the risk-taking effect alters your brain chemistry. They are spectacular ploys.

Most of us are enticed by the prospect of being rich and winning our way through life. We accept the system because th... [ More ]

Reply #2

fish40 — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 20:32:44 GMT

Hi Dracos,

Congrats on the $100K win I saw, I'm very happy for you that you're now ahead. The first scratcher I ever purchased was $1 and it paid out $20, I filled up my gas tank and never played again for months. One afternoon I went to grab a bite at Wendy's, after lunch I decided to buy a few $2 ones at 7/11. I did win $200 on one of them, this is what got me hooked. The reason I played again is because on that particular day work was very slow and I was not making any money.

I would be... [ More ]

Reply #1

Dracos — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 19:54:26 GMT

Hi fish40,

We sound alot alike. I've probably played through a comparable amount of tickets, and I've only been playing scratchoffs for a year. I got hooked after my uncle gave me some for Christmas last year. I'm also 24, so a similar age as you.

My advice is to seek out your local Gambler's Anonymous club. I plan on attending the one in my area as well. There's no shame in going, you recognize that you have an addiction and that is a big step. I have the same addiction, and we... [ More ]

Am I normal?

fish40 — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 19:24:05 GMT

Hello,

I just started playing scratch-offs about a year ago and since then my life has gone downhill. I was a good saver and had well over $20K saved up since 2009 but that's all gone now. The most I ever won was $1000 twice, and the most I ever lost in a single day is around $1500. Keep in mind I'm only 22 years old but have never had a gambling problem. I can spend $50 at the Hard Rock and be happy, but with scratch-offs I just keep going until I'm broke.

I'm curious if there is anybody... [ More ]