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ubersiren's avatar

Does this lotto winner's story seem fishy to you?

Asked by ubersiren (15208points) July 15th, 2010

Here is the full story.

This woman has won the Texas lottery four times! Is she just lucky? What do you think? I didn’t find anything about an investigation on her or anything.

How does this happen?

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18 Answers

chyna's avatar

Jack Whittaker, who lives in my same town, won the largest single payout lottery, (I think around 350 million, could be wrong) at that time, and then went on to win 100,000 in another lottery. I wonder how this happens also.

netgrrl's avatar

I don’t think there’s anything hinky going on. Multiple winners aren’t unheard of. Plus, three of the 4 times she won was with scratch-off tickets. Even with a coin toss, it is possible to have it come up heads 4 times in a row.

filmfann's avatar

With a coin toss, the odds aren’t a million to one you will come up heads.
Something ain’t right here.

ragingloli's avatar

Stochastic fluke, nothing to be concerned about.

dynamicduo's avatar

How does it happen? People who win the lottery are significantly more likely to play the lottery much more than the average person. They probably buy hundreds of tickets a year in various forms (scratch cards, lotto tickets, etc), so the number of times they win is greater than most occasional lottery winners. I wouldn’t hesitate to bet, though I do admit I could very well be wrong, that a good portion of her winnings from 1993 were spent to gain the winnings in 2006, continuing through to her two other winnings. If this is not the case, well then I guess she is indeed lucky. But I wouldn’t really ever jump to thinking it was fishy. If it occurred in rapid succession, sure, but that’s not the case here.

knitfroggy's avatar

@dynamicduo That was my thought too. This lucky lady must be like the person that’s forever in front of me at the gas station when I’m in a hurry trying to pay for gas. I always get stuck behind someone buying $4,000 worth of Powerball and scratch tickets!

Pied_Pfeffer's avatar

@dynamicduo There is one gas station relatively close by that doesn’t sell lottery tickets. I love that place.

CMaz's avatar

The odds are always the same. No matter how often you toss the coin, it is 50/50.

It looks like “luck” but the odds never change.

If I won 300 million. I might buy more lottery tickets. Turning the odds in my favor.

1 in 15 million chance. I buy 15million numbers. There are still 15 million other people playing. 50/50

It just looks “magical.” :-)

ubersiren's avatar

@dynamicduo That’s what I thought, too. Either she’s just lucky, or she’s paid for tickets as much as she’s won, lol…

@ChazMaz Yep. Everything is 50/50. If I’m in a crowd of 1 million people and there is one guy with one bullet who will shoot one person, I don’t have a 1 in 1 million chance of being shot. I have 50% that I’ll be safe, and 50% that I’ll be holey.

BoBo1946's avatar

That is unbelivable…seems fishy to me! One time in my life won something from drawing a number, etc. Won a grill at a golf tourn.

Aster's avatar

I don’t care HOW many tickets they buy. I think it’s Incredible if they win more than once.

john65pennington's avatar

Is it luck or is it a blessing? some people play bingo for years and never win. some people play bingo and win over and over again. is it luck or is it a blessing? same applies to any game of chance, including the lottery.

chyna's avatar

I played our state’s lottery every Friday night for one year just to see if I could win. I won $2.00 one time. Wasted $52.00.

ragingloli's avatar

Rule of acquisition number 188: Never bet on a race you haven’t fixed

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

People who win are people who play. You have no idea what this person has SPENT to “win”. I’m guessing that repeat winners simply play excessively – which makes the odds of their winning higher than your casual gambler.

chyna's avatar

@TheOnlyNeffie I believe I read where the lottery winner in my state, Jack Whittaker spent $100 a week on powerball tickets.

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

@chyna that’s believable. I worked in a smoke shop for 6 years, and it’s shocking what some people will spend on lottery in a day/week/month.

YARNLADY's avatar

Yes, when I read it I thought it sounded fishy, especially since she bought two of the tickets in the same place.

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