Growing up in Utah and Oregon, there were no lotteries to be played. If you wanted to gamble you headed to Nevada - which isn't all that far from either State. Here in California, things are different.
The local liquor store is an existing dichotomy in and of itself. A Hispanic named store, in a predominantly white neighborhood that is owned by Koreans. It is also the most popular place in Burbank to purchase lottery tickets.
Back in February this store sold a $10,000,000.00 winning ticket, and since then the place has been a fucking circus to patronize.
I don't play the lottery so I have limited knowledge of how the scam works. I assume it is similar to what the mob called "running numbers". It was, and perhaps still is profitable and the government, state and local, hate competition.
Essentially what I'm saying is the state can do it and that's ok - if someone else does it that's bad. The reasons the government listed for "running numbers" being bad was primarily it was catering to poor people who couldn't afford to lose.
I'm not sure if the state of California has been to this store lately, but a large portion of their customers are hanging outside of the building drinking liquor from a paper bag waiting for the power ball numbers to manifest themselves.
The idea that the lottery helps pay for schools via the income it provides is stupid. I have lived in Vegas (Henderson) and their schools are way nicer - as are their parks, roads, rest stops and police cars.
Yup, their police cars are immaculate in Henderson, Nevada. Here in LA, they don't even bother to wash them, pull the dents or paint them. Hell, I saw a CHP cruiser with duct tape holding the bumper up while driving down the freeway one day. The lotto obviously doesn't work here in California.
However, it's here and I assume because the state is STILL broke it isn't going anywhere. That sucks.
Our little neighborhood store is convenient and the owners friendly. However, when the lotto gets above 20 million I don't even bother going in any more. Here is how it usually goes:
I walk in and there are 4 or 5 folks waiting inline a fair distance apart from one another with lotto tickets in their grubby little hands. I go back and get my soda and wait. The person at the head of the line is cashing in their winnings and this dude looks like he just woke up and crawled out of the clothing recycle bin in the parking lot.
He changes in his winners, which amount to maybe 8 bucks for, you guessed it - more lotto tickets. This is not a quick process as there are so many colors and types to choose from. Each one a different way to casually lose your cash. So the waiting continues as this cat decides, changes his mind, and decides again which tickets to get.
Finally dude has all of his tickets, and I think I am one step closer to getting the fuck out of this wannabe casino. Uh uh, nope, no way. Why? Because this fucker saved a nickel to scratch off his cards and repeat the process all over again. 10 minutes later, he is broke and leaves.
So it goes, each customer with their stupid lotto tickets hoping to win a few bucks and change their lives. Like 35 bucks ever changed anyones life anyway.
15 minutes later I finally make it to the register, the coveted front of the line. There is a line behind me several people deep. A plethora of socio-economic types all waiting for me to buy my soda and get the fuck out of their way.
Then it dawns on me, perhaps I should be a time waster too. I mean shit, I just wasted 20 minutes of my life I can't get back watching people throw their cash away. Maybe there is something to all of thi s lotto shit I have yet to discover?
So, I did it. I purchased a scratch off $5.00 ticket - but slowly, methodically. I closed my eyes and visualized myself winning a million dollars. There were so many different cards to choose from, so many pretty colors. But, in the end, I am an NFL whore so I bought a San Francisco 49ers card - for three reasons. First, they didn't have a Pittsburgh Steelers card. Second, I hate the Chargers and it was between them and the Niners. Third, my wife loves the 49ers so I figured I can't lose.
It had taken me a good 2 minutes to decide which card to buy, and I decided I had wasted enough time of the folks behind me so I paid for my soda and card and went to leave the store.
On my way out I see the dude who had played and lost, apparently everything he had. He was hanging in the shaded corner outside the door and looked up at me, soda in one hand and ticket in the other.
He asks me, "how did you do"? I replied I didn't know because I hadn't scratched off whatever one scratches off to see if you have won. I asked him how he did, only out of courtesy because he lost all of his, eventually. I suspect most people do. Then he did something I didn't see coming. He said, "hey brother, can you help me out"? Obviously he wanted cash.
So I dig through my pockets and scrape together some loose change. This is when he grew some balls, and asked me for the lotto ticket instead of money. He went on to say it was only the second of the month and he had just blown his entire disability or social security check - on lotto tickets.
Fuck it, I gave it to him and he says to me, "God bless you".
It's been said, don't hate the player, hate the game. Nonetheless, it warmed my cockles to give him the card. Maybe it will change his life?
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