Start From Scratch

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about how amazing I found all the new, extremely specific murder mystery shows which were on channels such as Investigation Discovery and Crime TV. I continue to be blown away by how they had evolved from one or two shows in which the murderer always turned out to be the boyfriend into almost a dozen shows in which the killers have been divided by their relationship to the victim, how they killed them or where the murders took place. It was almost too much for me and a large part of my brain wonders if we are getting too accommodating with our programming. I'm just saying that if someone is fascinated by people who kill their neighbors that should be a warning sign and we should make it a bit harder for them to finish their research. Still, given how there were so many stories to choose from I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I stumbled passed another new show the other night about all the people who had won the lottery and then had terrible things happen to them. They say money can't buy happiness and this show was clearly proof of that as these people thought they had landed on easy street only to wind up the victim of elaborate schemes from people they once considered friends. Seeing how these people's lives were ruined despite never having to worry about money ever again was almost enough to make you happy you never won millions of dollars. Almost.

Obviously the curse of the lottery hasn't stopped people from playing and the most common way to play the lottery is scratch tickets (the old "they made mistakes I never would" justification). I have mixed emotions when it comes to scratch tickets. On the one hand I love what they represent - the chance to have a small amount of money turn into a large amount of money. It used to be that people wanted to work hard and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but given the increasing distance between the haves and the have-nots, becoming a millionaire overnight is the new America dream. The lottery seems like the easiest path to that because it doesn't even ask the people participating to first wire funds to an African Prince. However, I don't like scratch tickets because so far I have yet to cash in on one. Rather than be able to turn $5 into a couple of thousand I am really talented at turning $10 into $6. It is like the worst ponzi scheme ever. At this point I am much better at scratching off all the numbers I have to match and then guessing what numbers I will lose with than actually having any numbers that would make me rich. The most I have ever won on a scratch ticket was $50. (I did get a sweet comforter for my bed with that money, so at least I didn't waste my lottery winnings like so many others.) The other day I once again lost on some scratch tickets but as it turns out I may not be totally sunk yet.

You see, these scratch tickets were issued by the Boston Celtics and, like many of the new tickets they come with a "second chance" drawing. All you have to do is scratch off the 'void' sticker to get the long number code, go online and fill out a quick form and you have a chance to win Celtic-related prizes such as tickets or team merchandise. (Not money, but considering I would probably spend any money on won on Celtics-related gear I figure that is a wash). As with the first attempt to win a prize by scratching the ticket, I like the idea that my $10 could still get me something but like the regular lottery thus far my attempts to win the secondary drawing haven't netting me anything. Basically, it just means I get to prolong the feeling of losing for a little bit longer. Besides, don't think I don't see the real motivation here. If you have ever been outside a convenience store where they sell a lot of lottery tickets you know the losing tickets are usually discarded into the nearest trash barrel and at that moment aim is not a high priority. What you get instead are a bunch of worthless lottery tickets on the ground, looking awful. Well, with all these second-chance tickets you have to take them home with you to enter the codes into your computer. Thus, you are't just tossing them in the trash or worse, out the window as you drive away. This is why I think the second chance lottery drawing wasn't cooked up by the Mass State lottery, but the people who own the shows where you buy the tickets. The odds may not be great for all the people who are trying to win the contest, but you have to think the odds for the environment went up a little.

Don't get me wrong, I am not questioning the motivation behind the second-chance drawing, just the execution. You see, you have to present the original cards should you win - photocopies are not good enough. That means in the weeks or months between when you enter the code and when the drawing actually takes place (which only happens when they have a certain number of entrants and there is no telling when that will be) you have to hold on to all these old, losing tickets. Also, they never tell that the drawing has finally taken place and that you lost so you never know it is ok to finally throw out these twice-losing cards - you just have to hang onto them until further notice. Given the way people in my family have a tendency to hold onto crap we don't really need that means I could have a stack of these things before too long. I'm not asking that the lottery fills my inbox with spam mail during every little contest, but a notice to let me know I could stop sitting around waiting doesn't sound like an impossible request. But, they don't do that so, what the state lottery is really saying to you is that they don't want people cluttering up these parking lots with old tickets, but your house seems like a great place for them. Admittedly, my desk drawer is probably a better place for them to end up than some landfill but still, I guess it's a good thing I don't buy scratch tickets all that often.