‘Hey Bill Nye, Is Playing the Lottery Rational?’

‘Hey Bill Nye, Is Playing the Lottery Rational?’
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The chances of winning the US lottery are 250 million to one, and in some cases higher. It’s not a small game of poker against some friends, instead it’s gambling against every citizen who buys a ticket. And perhaps it’s not much; two dollars to play each time. But the money adds up, and there are even cases of lottery addiction.
On Last Week with John Oliver, Oliver said, "Gambling is a little like alcohol. Most people like it, some are addicted to it, and it’s not like the state can or should outlaw it all together. But it would be a little strange if the state was in the liquor business, advertising it by claiming that every shot of vodka you drink helps school children learn."
And this is true - many state lotteries claim that its profits go to education, but it isn’t exactly so. Money in the government budget is reallocated, borrowed, and moves around so much it’s hard to keep track, so the lotto money ends up not going straight to public education as advertised.
According to Bill Nye, the lottery acts as a tax on those who can least afford it. Most of the people who play the lottery statistically come from lower income and lower education backgrounds. This means that those who are measuring every dollar they earn may misguidedly waste crucial funds on the lottery, spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on a slim chance that they could win, even though it’s massively likely that they never will. Perhaps they’ll win a small five-dollar reward, a low return on what they've poured in over the years, but that winning five bucks - this is the experience people remember. Just like gambling, people remember the adrenaline rush of their luck, and forget the many times they’ve lost.
That’s why people keep on playing the lottery. Is it rational? Absolutely not, says Nye, who goes on to say that people need to be educated on the game they’re playing. If more public personas like John Oliver and Bill Nye can bring the issue to broader attention, at the very least it might allow people to make an informed decision.
Bill Nye's most recent book is Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World.
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BILL NYE:
Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has been doing most of his life.
In Seattle Nye began to combine his love of science with his flair for comedy, when he won the Steve Martin look-alike contest and developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. Nye then quit his day engineering day job and made the transition to a night job as a comedy writer and performer on Seattle’s home-grown ensemble comedy show “Almost Live.” This is where “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” was born. The show appeared before Saturday Night Live and later on Comedy Central, originating at KING-TV, Seattle’s NBC affiliate.
While working on the Science Guy show, Nye won seven national Emmy Awards for writing, performing, and producing. The show won 18 Emmys in five years. In between creating the shows, he wrote five children’s books about science, including his latest title, “Bill Nye’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs.”
Nye is the host of three currently-running television series. “The 100 Greatest Discoveries” airs on the Science Channel. “The Eyes of Nye” airs on PBS stations across the country.
Bill’s latest project is hosting a show on Planet Green called “Stuff Happens.” It’s about environmentally responsible choices that consumers can make as they go about their day and their shopping. Also, you’ll see Nye in his good-natured rivalry with his neighbor Ed Begley. They compete to see who can save the most energy and produce the smallest carbon footprint. Nye has 4,000 watts of solar power and a solar-boosted hot water system. There’s also the low water use garden and underground watering system. It’s fun for him; he’s an engineer with an energy conservation hobby.
Nye is currently the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space interest organization.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Uri: Hi Bill. My name is Uri. My question is about giving some chance to the chance. The probability of winning a lottery is very, very small. Nevertheless is playing lottery rational? Thanks.
Bill Nye: The lottery. Uri, Uri, Uri. I’ve...
Read the full transcript at bigthink.com/videos/bill-nye-...

[@bigthink]

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[@theultimateninja]

"...so you're saying there's a chance!"

[@shipwreck9146]

not in a million years.

[@JaeEnceeti]

Love Jim Carrey :D

[@srccar]

Dumb and Dumber!! ...where's my cookie

[@ZrockNorCal]

lol

[@ElLevidente]

Was just about to comment that myself lol

[@a7i20ci7y]

When I was a kid my step father bought me twenty $1 scratchers. Every single one of them was a loser. Not even a free game. Best Christmas gift ever, valuable lesson learned.

[@itchykami]

Penny Arcade called slot machines 'Ding! And then you don't win any money'

[@blingximus]

you sure that wasn't from warren buffets book?

[@cinna-manspice4449]

There’s a bigger chance of surviving a nuclear apocalypse.

[@GeneralDowson]

Rather than playing the lottery, I like to put the money I would have spent in a jar, then at the end of the year I open the jar and I always win! :)

[@zermerschern]

How do you open a jar with a paw? Teach me your ways.

[@neonconfection]

Smart kitty

[@bavarianbanshee]

Business cat knows best!

[@Lambda_Ovine]

You discovered piggies!

[@terrellsmith6715]

Yup

[@PanikStudios]

2:32 State lotteries are not accidentally taxing the poor, it is their primary objective

[@Mikey-ym6ok]

Anik P sad seeing dimwits ahead of me in line at a gas station pissing their cigarette money away

[@somekid7]

They definitely know what they're doing. They just alienate themselves from the labor required to maintain the industry, so they don't have to think about how their involvement destroys lives

[@AnthonyJohnson-rd1rd]

@@somekid7 have you played the lottery

[@ChessNetwork]

2:47 "We embrace the successes and forget about the losses." Always an interesting listen that Bill Nye.

[@god2112]

pepega clap

[@Derpster2493]

lottery is a voluntary tax for people that are good at meth.

[@cashputra]

keep your ring fam

[@Unforgivingness420]

lol, what? Only drug addicts throw their lives away? You sound like a ten year old who came up with a comment before you were 10 seconds in.

[@OccultThinkTankOFFICIAL]

*"Only drug addicts throw their lives away?"* ROFLMAO! Are you saying all religious people are drug addicts? As they are throwing their lives away on a pipe dream of whatever religion they happened to have been conditioned by the society & or family they happened to have been born into!

[@inox1ck]

When you pay your tax do they give you the chance to win anything? But anyway most of the money end up in taxes.

[@Irondragon1945]

Bad... you mean bad...

[@spyderxtra777]

I always thought of the lottery as paying a few dollars in exchange for a daydream about what it would be like if you won.

[@frisianmouve]

Meh i can always daydream about finding a lottery ticket and then winning it with that lottery ticket. Because hey winning the lottery is already such a low chance might as well add another improbabilty of what the chance is of finding a lottery ticket

[@blackdragonstory1122]

I guess,but it only works once. After your dream was crushes the first time you should know better. All though misery and desperation and all other sad things may influence you to still bet on it because it's the only ray of hope you got.

[@frisianmouve]

MOHAMMED NURUL HUDA Really? Spam in this thread? fuck off will ya

[@0Fyrebrand0]

What if I can daydream about that for free? Am I committing dream piracy?

[@skr4207]

+Living Myth It would make little to none sense, if you were to dream about, because you are 100% entitled to not win, since you are not participating.

[@tweepy123]

"It means you will lose. That's what it means." Can't get any more blunt than that XD

[@Volound]

"lottery is a voluntary tax for people that are bad at maths." EDIT: called it.

[@DarylGinn]

Yeah, not buying that.

[@goffzegoff5708]

A nice way of saying Stupid people tax

[@MadBones673]

math*

[@Homicide364]

+Goff Ze Goff My father in law is a doctor of medicine and I'm a paralegal hoping to be a lawyer one day and the only thing we have in common is that we're both bad at math. And I don't mean in a we can't do calculus kind of way but in a can basically only do addition and subtraction kind of way. And while I'm fine with you calling me stupid (cuz I kinda am) my father in law is anything but and is by far one of the most intelligent people I know.

[@TheManInRoomFive]

maths* Both are correct.

[@somekid7]

I'm 26 and I'm working-class so I'm surrounded by people who play lotto, gamble and place bets on sports all the time. It's tempting but I'm glad I've been educated about it and reminded by small lessons. I did play and lose 40 bucks at a casino once when my friend dragged me there, and more recently I lost money on day trading crypto which felt just like a casino. I've never gambled, placed bets or played lotto beyond that. I've rejected offers too many times to count. I started considering playing lotto just a few minutes before I watched this video and I'm glad I watched it. It's hard to maintain perspective when you're stuck in a place where money is hard to come by, and the people around you were mostly failed by the education system.

[@LexBlazer]

I sub to big think just for the weekly Bill Nye clips....that guy taught me more in middle school than middle school science class.

[@romicor9]

I love how he acknowledges (both in videos and in his books) that there is more to the world than America, and not every person in the audience has to know about American history or geography. He always has that "citizen of the world" attitude and maybe that's why he has fans all around the globe.

[@MarioTomicOfficial]

Bill is the reason why I watch this channel :)

[@Anonymitymoose]

I always loved the down-to-earth clear way Bill Nye explains things.

[@shada0]

Most people I see play act like their a main character in a story, one day something great just has to happen. It seams like a desperate hope for people who have none.

[@daniellove162]

Apparently hope only cost a dollar.

[@ThankYouESM]

However, if it's a buck in hoping to win a million dollar jackpot... the odds are next to zilch.

[@jrrrm3]

I think you're exactly right. Except waiting for success to come to you very rarely every works.

[@brellynmuldoon8642]

I know too many people who consider their "futures win", their retirement fund. I've seen people get very upset they didn't win, but it's a game of chance. Treat it like a game of chance and go build a fortune or learn how to create a fortune.

[@nomoturtle1788]

Daniel Love. Nope, hope is a weekly subscription, a dollar a week. Some people like hope a lot and go for 2 a week, no 4, eh why not 10? They're being exploited by those that run it, and it's indistinguishable from regular gambling.

[@philv2529]

I used to work at a gas station and struggled to understand the minds of lotto and scratch off players. Here is what I finally concluded. These people can only imagine numbers up to a certain maximum. For some this maximum is in the thousands for some it is in the tens of thousands. Now here is where it gets stupid but I am convinced this is true. For these people, any number higher than this maximum number is filed in their brain as "really big number" with no quantity other than it is larger than my largest number. And in their minds all "really big numbers" are equal. So a one in a million chance is the same to them as a one in a billion chance. Sometimes Lotto and MegaMillions have the same jackpot. Both cost the same to buy a ticket. Lotto is something like one in 20 mil to win MegaMillions is something like one in 300 mil to win. They will say "give me one of each" I say why not buy 2 Lotto instead. Nope. They want one of each. WHAT THE FUCK?!?! But to them they have the same chance of winning either.

[@jvjd]

Yup, poor ppl. You could enlighten them but it seems as if you already tried too Meh, ignorance is bliss let they live in that world

[@jvjd]

***** Dude your caps lock is broken

[@RezEverday]

That actually makes sense. Sweden has some "lotteries" (what we call them but not a traditional lotto drawing) with higher chance of winning but win less. A popular one is like someone win a hundred thousand dollars and everyone with close addresses win like ten thousand dollars. I don't know the chance of winning this but stuff like that I think is fine. Loose some money you won't notice if someone stole it and then maybe win. And something like 70% of their income goes back to winners, so its like pay a very small amount to make someone rich, and maybe it'll be you.

[@philv2529]

Everday! we have what you described as well. That one is called "little lotto". I'm not shitting you. In Illinois there is Mega Millions, Lotto, and little lotto. Little lotto has a 1 in 676,676 chance of winning and the jackpot is progressive so sometimes its more than the odds. I remember it getting to $1 mil once. So the jackpot was higher than the odds. But if there were multiple winners then they had to split the winnings. Also there is taxes.

[@blackdragonstory1122]

They arent basing their choices by numbers but instead on luck. Will I be lucky or not. That way it doesnt really matter if the chances are 1 in 6 or 1 in 10 milions. Most of them probably deep down think they will lose anyway while at the same time hoping they are wrong and luck is on their side.

[@TheGoodContent37]

I came here to read the comments of idiots trying to defend lottery but I can't find any. I'm dissapointed u_u

[@TheGoodContent37]

+2consider Yeah but they should use that money for important stuff like, you know, fucking food! Losing money makes them more susceptible to drugs and suicide. It's really an evil system.

[@TheGoodContent37]

2consider You are as ignorant as it gets. Please tell me what's the ratio between people living by handouts and people living by the result of their work. Then when you realize that you are an idiot for critizicing a very low percentage of society you can start to think how much money is spend in more stupid things like wars or guns. Also anyone smart enough can tell someone stupid what to do with their money. It's like telling someone that killing is wrong, anyone can do it and should do it because is a fucking moral obligation! Spending money on drugs or lottery is bad for anyone and can lead to fucked up things in their lifes. Also you contradict yourself by stating how things should be done and your question can be applied to you aswell, who are you to say what's right or wrong or how should people live? Lottery is evil, welfare is good and humane regardless of how people use it.

[@MrOhWhatTheHeck]

Buying lottery tickets isn't irrational if it gives people excitement. Your $5 lottery ticket may only give you a $3 worth chance of winning, but if it makes you happy then so what? In fact it's no more stupid than buying non-compulsory insurance.

[@randomnumbers84269]

MrOhWhatTheHeck, only irrational people get excited over lottery tickets though.

[@jilliansmith7123]

THE GOOD CONTENT: Your reply to 2consider was very good. That "smart bomb" shown going down that chimney during the first Gulf war cost a million dollars. Those bombs cost a million dollars each, and we used how many of them? It made me sick. After WWII Britain took the amount of money they'd have spent on more war and put it into universal health care for everyone in their country. We took that money and gave it to the military industrial complex and the owners got amazingly rich and ordinary people kept going bankrupt if they had catastrophic health issues. The UK did the right thing. We didn't.

[@RiceBaiiKhao]

Captain here. I agree with Bill. (Who doesn't??) BUT, there is another point of view that you can take and, despite not making it rational, can make the behavior of playing lottery understandable and almost practical. Facts: 1) The expectancy of the lottery is always negative.. This means that overall, given that you could play an infinite number of times, you will be paying more for your lottery tickets that you will win. (The house aways wins) 2) The expectancy of buying insurance (house, car, life, etc.) is also negative. If you could live an infinitely long life, and always pay an insurance premium to protect yourself and your family, you would spend more by purchasing the insurances than you would save. (The house always wins) What you are expected to lose is called a premium. But we have to consider these complementary facts. *1) We do not have an infinite amount of money. *2) We can only live one lifespan of around 80 years (for now) Lottery and insurance are two sides of the same coin. in 1) We pay a premium to take the chance (risk) of winning big. in 2) We pay a premium to prevent ourselves from losing big. Both are mathematically irrational, but both are arguably practical for a single individual living 1 life. I'm not advocating playing the lottery or discouraging buying insurance. Just giving a comparison of the mathematical value of such activities versus its actual use in practical life. Hope you enjoy it.

[@jilliansmith7123]

Insurance can be considered that way...but in fact car insurance is also to protect someone else from your own liability, as well as to protect you. Lots of people get in car incidents. We've had a few ourselves. Insurance covered them. There's more real-world connection with insurance than with lotteries. Also, insurance helps keep you partially safe from catastrophic losses, while lottery doesn't do that at all. Even house insurance may never pay you back what you put in, but in the case of something that is covered, a fire, say, you can lose the whole of your investment without fire insurance. How many times are there house fires?

[@Ruslan-S]

I think this is the discussion Yuri wanted to start. It can still be "rational" to play the lottery in a similar way it can be rational to pay insurance premiums. If it doesn't cost you much in terms of effort and money compared to the benefits of the "payout", then this can be kind of rational. After all, if winnings are 100 million dollars and the ticket costs 1$, and your salary is $100000, then you're getting a small chance of winnings for practically free. It's never going to be reasonable to expect that you'll get your money's worth, similar to how you doing expect (and even hope) you won't need your insurance (some of them anyway).

[@BuyBBStonk]

FUN FACT: If you took that revolver and shot out the bullets every second continuously, you'd have to spend 15.8 years before you'd reach the empty chamber.

[@eclipze8408]

Umm no. You spin the chamber which randomizes it. You could find on the first, 2nd , or any trigger press. It’s a chance of finding the chamber. 15.8 is the longest possible time, which is just as unlikely as all the rest of them

[@batowner1]

@@eclipze8408 idk bout you but I can't spin a cylinder that big.

[@NeikoFR]

Lol, it's funny to see a video on this subject uploaded the exact moment of that CSGO KZbinr scandal

[@ryanlacroix6425]

what happened?

[@ryanlacroix6425]

what happened?

+Ryan Lacroix go to a channel called h3h3productions and watch their latest video about CSGO betting.

[@s0818629]

Dude please don't call that a scandal. It's pretty much business as usual and parents freakin out cause they just found out where their money was going. and this guy is trying to make it a thing becuz... profit!

[@Blehlogist]

mejhn svet :D

[@TarkusT]

What I don't get is those who play the immediate result type of lottery, ie: scratchers etc. You buy a ticket on Sunday for the draw on Saturday and for all those days in between you get to dream about what would do with all that money. $2 - $5 for that joy? More joy in that than a beer. But the sadness is that no one would ever stop at $2 - $5. But I watch people who go to the store and buy immediate tickets and it always ends up with them having nothing. I realize that the Government utilizes this as a tax on people who do not know any better but it is so sad to watch the people who actually believe they will win at some point.

[@XD8DISTURBED8XD]

Where is this video of Bill doing stand up comedy?

[@happylittletree7624]

That would be RAD! I am a Towelie too, CHEERS!!!

[@Khono]

Well said!

[@DeepSpaceNinja]

Thinking that you will eventually win is irrational. You could play every day for your entire life and still not win in a thousand life-times.

[@metalmaster76]

Someone always does though. It’s gurranteed not to be you if you don’t buy a ticket

[@DeepSpaceNinja]

@@metalmaster76 1 winner and millions of suckers donating to them.

[@eliasgibson4743]

@@metalmaster76 your chances of winning are so low they might as well be zero. You are stupid if you play. Even if you win you are still stupid for trying

[@joekeanetv]

if you want to put your money on chance, just invest in the stock market, much better chance to win

[@ricksanchez8521]

Or just play poker, it's still gambling, you get to interact with peeps at the casino,have a good time and you can actually win some money every now and then even if you suck.

[@chadd990]

Comments like these make me realize that people on the outside simply don't understand lottery players. Investing in stocks is more expensive and more involved than paying a cashier a dollar for a lottery ticket. Poker also has minimum bets, usually $5-15 per game. That's still 5 to 15 times more expensive than a lottery ticket. I sell lottery ticket, so I do actually see people who spend an average of around $20 per day on lottery tickets, but it seems that most people don't want to spend more than $5, and don't come in every day. The joy of playing is probably worth the $1, even if you lose.

[@ricksanchez8521]

Hey Guys, This Is My New Name I don't know what kind of poker you're playing bro, but i'm not talking about poker vs the house i'm talking poker vs other poker players.If you have a couple bucks in your pocket that you're gonna forget about anyways, sure drop it on lottos because why not. If you plan to actually win the lottery however, I think that's a big mistake.

[@chadd990]

Rick Sanchez People don't plan on winning when they buy lottery tickets, only a small delusional few do that. People expect to have a chance to win, but they do not truly expect to win. People get excited and start dreaming about the future, and this can be make them happy, which is beneficial. When people start a gambling addiction and playing every day, that's when it becomes a problem. I've seen people lose more money playing poker than I have seen with lottery tickets. You talk as if you're guaranteed to win playing poker, if that's the case then you have an addiction and are thinking irrationally. Poker is only possible if someone loses money. You can't expect the entire table to leave with a profit. But if you are good enough to beat the average player, then kudos, it's still not a recommended hobby.

[@ricksanchez8521]

I wasn't saying that poker is a savvy financial decision, my point was just that you're FAR more likely to come out ahead playing poker than the lottery, even if you suck at it.

[@4ndr3w70]

love this man so much!

[@jessadelman]

thank you for doing this video!!

[@50andURnotLOLOLOL]

I literally just won 5 dollars on a 5 dollar scratch off ticket as i was watching this video. Take that Bill Nye, I have beaten the system! PS. You gave me the inspiration to go back to school and become an architect. Thank you for making my childhood awesome.

[@ERMediaOfficial]

In my country, Austria, we call playing the Lottery "Idiot's Tax"

[@BaconMaken]

We use that term for the lottery in the United States as well. Bill Nye is just more polite than most of us.

[@shoyugod]

When the lottery reached over a billion dollars our family all pitched in a couple bucks and we bought a dozen tickets. We talked about what we'd do with the winnings and got together to watch the numbers be drawn. I have a pretty happy memory of doing that with everyone. I think that's worth a couple bucks.

[@hanneslundin346]

I can't believe the ad on this video for me was an ad for a lottery

[@ShadowEcto]

i feel his frustration

[@brandonogden3498]

I understand the analogy, but it's flawed - the loss of $2, even every week for LIFE is nowhere close to a death sentence. If the revolver had 49,999,999 EMPTY chambers and 1 bullet, I'd imagine there'd be a number of people that would pull THAT trigger for their $2. Heck, most people would figure that a half million pulls of that trigger is still pretty good odds of survival for a cool million in return.

[@OutputzBeatz]

That metaphor was spot on 😂😂😂😂😂

[@rawjawbone]

I used to sell lotto tickets when I worked in a convenience store. It was the most depressing thing I ever experienced. Everyone who bought one looked like they could really use that money towards something else. Turned me off to gambling, which I guess is a good thing.

[@LrdZanny]

edups send moi

[@d7chen]

@Dire Linc dont contribute to the lottery

[@zdenek3010]

There is much easier math to lottery. If lottery companies earn something it must mean that all the people betting lose.

[@thehiddenninja3428]

"The house always wins" That's how casinos profit.

[@Mikey-ym6ok]

The Hidden Ninja you’re smart. The house ALWAYS wins.

[@thecaptainnoah]

the frustration snaps at the end are key ...

[@c9brown]

If you want to play the lottery, there's a good one called 'Mutual Fund'. They don't typically sell the tickets at most gas stations, instead you need to buy them at the bank. The odds are great though (much better than 145,000,000:1), and you can just keep playing as long as you want. Another decent one I know of is called RSP.

[@everburning8127]

Now answer why the country is broke with all the incoming revenue.

[@mckinneymindy]

except the people who win 30 million did the same math lol.

[@thehiddenninja3428]

Once a mathematician decided to keep an eye on all the lotteries that rolled over their jackpot, and found one in I think Australia where the jackpot outweighed the cost of buying all tickets for a guaranteed win. He got several dozens of thousands of people to sign up, pay a dollar towards it, and each of them was later given a dollar 50 as promised.

[@thehiddenninja3428]

Once a mathematician decided to keep an eye on all the lotteries that rolled over their jackpot, and found one in I think Australia where the jackpot outweighed the cost of buying all tickets for a guaranteed win. He got several dozens of thousands of people to sign up, pay a dollar towards it, and each of them was later given a dollar 50 as promised.

[@chrismccorkle2909]

Wait, am I the only one that did not know Bill was a comedian? I gotta find some of that. Has to be pure gold!

[@NightfallShadow]

Sorry bill, but if what you say is true than the chances of winning would be 0 out of 250 million. There is always a winning number and your chance is always 1. Gotta be in it to win it and people DO win it, all the time they win it! When we had the lottery at A billion dollars 3 people won.

[@mainstreetsaint36]

but the odds are never in the average person's favor. I think that is the main point he was trying to convey.

[@carguy1697]

it's mathematics the same people mostly win it that's why they put a limit on it not worth

[@GarrettSzilard]

I still think its rational to play the lottery. If I played the $1, Mega Million, once per month, for 20 year, I would only have spent $240... If out of those 20 years I win just once, I've already made a surplus in returns. Its a numbers and chance game.. we all known we probably will never win, but it'd only take once for us to win to get everything would put in back and plus some. I have already spent more money on video games now than I will ever spend on any lottery system in two life times. $240 over a 20 year life span is chunk change when we have to pay close to that per month for food alone.

[@jrrrm3]

But you could have also spent that $240 on something else where you will get a guaranteed return.

[@GarrettSzilard]

Jr M So if I saved $1 a month for 20 years and I get that $240..then what? Or if I did something with that $1 per month for the 20 years, what would it be that would make big $$$?

[@jrrrm3]

Garrett Szilard The point I am trying to make is you could do something else with your money like invest or something and you are guaranteed to at least get some money out of it that is more than you put in. the odds with the lottery is almost enough to guarantee you you will never win, but with something like investments you could make a lot of money (though probably not as much) by spending just as much money.

[@FuckFascistYouTube]

But you won't win. Ever.

[@GarrettSzilard]

Jr M I know what you are saying, but what system out there would let me put $1 in a month and get way more back in a 20 year span? Saving $1 a month for 20 years and earning only $240 isn't that great, considering cost of living for buying food is at least $300 a month if you want to eat even moderately healthy.

[@shaner0328]

this man is brilliant he has a way of making something so bland fun and interesting we need more people like this

[@lioraselby5328]

I really like the stitching on Bill's suit.

[@SkeletonBill]

I think the lottery is a bad thing for poor people, but if I was wealthy I would probably play the lottery just because it's such a negligible expense with a possible great return.

[@JewTube001]

well now you know why you aren't wealthy

[@zebrahunter6956]

Sums up my thinking

[@swagraptor5477]

You're still stupid. You could invest in derivatives (stock options) and earn huge returns with a better than 50% chance of success.

[@djayjp]

Even for the rich, despite alternative revenue strategies and the modest cost of the tickets, it still doesn't make any sense as they are designed to make a profit for the state. What goes in is not what gets paid out. The house always wins.

[@0fucksftw]

Thats not the point, point is you might as well be burning those dollars

[@Eddielevit]

all of these questions are stupid and childish

[@Eddielevit]

+Carlos Polanco of course the answer is no to this question lol!

[@citheronia1379]

I think the point is that they are questions a lot of people have but may be too afraid to ask because they're supposed to be "common sense".

[@fergfighter]

On the contrary, there are enough points to be made in different directions that at least to me, I didn't know what the answer would be. 'Stupid and Childish' seems like a really stupid and childish way to address a whole video series just because not all of those videos help you in particular.

[@ChickenLittleFilms]

I think a lot of people ask questions because they start on an interesting topic rather than not actually knowing the answer themselves.

[@if3660]

Hey bill, do you think it would be a good idea to shove my head into a blender, it just that I have heard about this thing called 'survival of the fittest'?

[@kyle13131]

I had an economics prof that called the lottery the "Idiot Tax" haha

[@monkeyangelow2816]

I got a lottery ad on this

[@mitchbmx]

The Russian roulette comparison was awful. Why lie when you could explain the risk/reward math honestly and lead your listeners to the right conclusion?

[@notmatt2270]

The people of lesser intellect and attention span grow bored when they hear numbers.

[@mitchbmx]

+Not Matt Damon the chances of winning the lottery are about 1/260 million. The price of a ticket is $2. $2x260 million equals $520 million. You need to expect to win $520 million after taxes and splitting your winnings to break even. Theres an honest analysis of the lottery.

[@OKRODDER]

I'm going to hypothesize that the thumbs down were from people that play the lottery.

[@crankysmurf]

If I was a betting man I would bet they were.

[@FuckFascistYouTube]

Or just people who hate logic.

[@tytisbraincancer2172]

I gave it thumbs down just for the "People Like Me" comment.........Dimwit Nye loves to exalt himself.

[@nomoturtle1788]

I thumbed this down because it was a very poor answer to the question. People don't dislike videos because solely they don't believe in the thing you believe in, it's arrogant and egotistical of you to assume so. All he said was that the chance of winning is very small, so small that you're not likely to win. Then he makes a comparison to an emotionally charged pseudo-parallel. He added nothing to the discussion and certainly didn't make a rational argument in response to the question. Also, Sir Nye is a bit of a condescending prick most of the time.

[@leisuretime9177]

Thank you Bill. Such smart guy

[@mouse9727]

I always remember the line David Krumholz said on the show, Numb3rs, about the lottery being a voluntary tax on stupidity

[@zak9283]

Here from idubbz

[@alexandre588]

Playing the lottery as an investment is irrational. Playing the lottery as an entertainment is fine.

[@BaconMaken]

Stop lying to yourself. There is nothing "entertaining" about wasting money on a piece of paper that says you lose. There are 0 justified reasons for buying a single lottery ticket ever.

[@libertytrebil]

Here in Georgia the money spent on lottery tickets goes towards the Hope scholarship. Whether you win or lose you're helping students pay for thier education. I wish more states would adopt our system.

[@tiffanywilliams1375]

Love you Bill Nye you inspired me as a child and even still today! :)

[@RAMII19780529]

I rarely disagree with Bill Nye, but I think of the lottery as entertainment, not a retirement plan. You pay a few bucks, pick some numbers and watch to hope your numbers come up. It's a few minutes of entertainment, and every once in a while you win a few bucks. Sure it would be great to match all the numbers and win millions, but I'm not counting on that, much less expecting it. I believe it's similar to gambling in a casino, but you get better odds at a casino; even though the odds are still not in your favor. I think people play because it's fun, and I know that people do occasionally win.

[@mhtinla]

I always disagree with his choice of bow tie. In addition to the entertainment value you mentioned, he fails to mention that occasionally the odds can be in players' favor if the reward is carried over after yielding no winners repeatedly. As someone said above, the important thing is not to get addicted.

[@tomasxfranco]

Then you are ignorant of all the "poor" people that buy lottery tickets and pray to win in hopes of improving their economic situation. Those people are the ones lotteries prey upon, not people who "play"for fun, and they would be much better served by doing other things with that money. There's a great deal of research and documentaries on the subject if you'd like to look for them.

[@RAMII19780529]

+Tom Franco I can't control what others do with their money, nor do I think we should try. Making a general statement by saying "it's a tax for people who are bad at math" is unsulting. My original comment was similar to your reply, but from the opposite perspective, also not as blunt. There are people from all different walks of life that play the lotto. I don't agree with statements insinuating that lotteries prey upon a specific type of person. Its a choice they have a right to make; to play or not.

[@dryzalizer]

He wasn't saying that out of thin air, numerous studies have shown it. He also said *generally* which does not mean everyone. He wasn't talking about you Bob.

[@chadd990]

I'd have to say that I disagree with you, Bill. The excitement of playing a lottery ticket can be well worth $1, even if you lose. It's just important to not become addicted.

[@Sputnikoff]

Not if you understand the math. It's like writing love letters to Jessica Alba or whoever and then being excited waiting for the answer.

[@chadd990]

Другая Америка Not if you understand human biology and psychology.

[@Sputnikoff]

+Hey Guys, This Is My New Name I am talking about basic common sense. But of course, most people want everything for nothing and lottery is a great way to achieve it...NOT.

[@chadd990]

Другая Америка You don't know what you're talking about because you're ignoring the psychology behind gambling. You already know what your answer is and nothing that anyone says, or any kind of data will change that. The thing about common sense is that you're not thinking outside the box.

[@Sputnikoff]

Hey Guys, This Is My New Name What I was saying there should be no excitement spending $1 on hopeless affair. I understand the game behind the lottery scam. Right now they made chances twice worse to get Mega Jackpot or whateverer it"s called even bigger and stupid people play and spend more for less of already microscopic chance to win.

[@GeraltBosMang]

love bill's explanation as usual, BILL BILL BILL BILL!

[@nogxx95]

There is a thing called possibility effect which explains this quite well. If there is a chance, no matter how small, we weigh it unproportionally heavy. Thats also the reason why we would spend more money to reduce the risk of something from 5% to 10% than we would spend on the risk reduction of 20% to 10%.

[@kmonster420]

When I win, I'll be back... then pay you to remove this video.

[@MrRubyRat]

Surprisingly demeaning answer out of Bill here, one which I heavily disagree with. Firstly, likening the lottery (the US national Lottery even, there are others) to Russian Roulette seems biased towards his own personal distaste for randomized results. It's also inaccurate with respect to the actual game, in Russian Roulette there is only 1 bullet, the way Bill puts it the lottery is attempted suicide, again stemming from personal experience I bet. Secondly, a tax on people who can't do math? Is Bill better than everyone who play's the lottery simply by virtue of his willingness to hold on to $2? I see no problem at all with playing into the lottery, especially given that statistically I'll bet (pun intended) the average purchaser buys a ticket believing that they will lose, but also possesses a non-zero chance of winning. I'll pay $2 for the chances of winning Millions, even knowing I almost certainly never will, and I'll do so gladly as a form of entertainment and escapism. If you seek to enlighten the masses why not encourage playing, as a form of entertainment? Why does the lottery and random chance need to be inherently evil in your eyes? Yes it's intended to siphon money away from consumers, but we're not stupid for doing so. Everything in a capitalistic society is intended to siphon your money away, lotteries are no different. Don't play to win, play for the love of the game, same with sports, video games and dating.

[@srccar]

Yes but decisions like that are why you're poor. Whatever makes you happy though.

[@MrRubyRat]

Again, demeaning, and inaccurate. If I'm poor it's because of student loans, bills, food, etc, all things that eclipse what I spend on the lottery. Answers like that only serve yourself, they're not useful to other people.

[@tomasxfranco]

You'd still be better served using that money elsewhere.

[@MrRubyRat]

I propose the opposite. $2 doesn't buy a whole lot, not even a cup of coffee. But you guys seem to be ignoring the psychological element at play here. The entire value of entertainment and escapism is relief from the pressures and stress of the now, which can severely hamper productivity. If that $2 buys me a moment of joy, I can channel that into working just a little harder, which can make me more profitable. Few things are as black and white as you seem to believe.

[@jukahri]

​@@MrRubyRat You could invest $2 in a startup company and have positive odds of turning a profit if you do it smart. And if you aren't smart enough, spend those $2 on food to stay alive, that will still make you more money in the long run, however small, than playing the lottery will. As for the lottery bringing you joy, that's exactly why it's not just a tax on stupid people, it's also a tax on desperate people. Buy a gallon of fuel, use that fuel to meet with a friend and just have a chat. That will give you more and healthier joy than playing the lottery.

[@worsethanbuzzfeed6353]

Got an ad for the lottery while watching this lmao

[@JCavLP]

Got a a lottery ad before this one

[@LeriObba]

That's a terrible analogy. First of all, losing when playing the lottery does not kill you, and the jackpot isn't 2$ it''s millions of them. Maybe you should take up some philosophy. Also, not a tax by any definition.

[@arukamedi1821]

I think he was saying you wouldn't pay 2 dollars to hold the gun to your head for the extremely small chance of getting the chamber without the bullet (some lottery tickets cost 2 dollars, including all of the major lottos where I live if you get the "extra" on it)

[@SaHaRaSquad]

"the jackpot isn't 2$ it''s millions of them." - Compared to the chances of winning this is irrelevant. "Also, not a tax by any definition." - Not officially, but the result is the same.

[@drink15]

You missed the point

[@Dashbshots]

I am going to try to help you. Please stay calm. First, it is a tax. If they want you to do more of something, they reward the behavior. If they want you to do less of something, they penalize the behavior. It doesn't matter what is truly right or wrong, legal or not legal. They encourage the lottery behavior because they want your money. It is another thing they put in place to take more money from your pocket. Then they show one person win once a while to encourage people to play. Many lotteries have been rigged so nobody truly won. When that one person wins, their winnings are greatly reduced by more taxes. But it is a tax you can choose not to pay. The chances are so great that you will not win. But the state always wins no matter what.

[@Gonkers44]

+drink15 The point wasn't missed, it was a straw man argument. The risk associated with losing a dollar is not the same as losing your life. A closer analogy is if it were a stun gun or something. First time sucks, then the next time you think twice. But eventually you become numb to it and the real damage starts. Bill, I don't want to hear about you buying a raffle ticket to support your local fire department! It could cost you your life! Disclosure: I play the lottery 1 or 2 times a year for kicks.

[@philosophytoday6518]

You nailed it ,sir

[@lpacolli]

Bill this is what i have thought since I was very young. I never understood why people bought lottery tickets when the chances of winning were impossible. I am actually frustrated on this issue exactly as you are.

[@timramone8009]

Bill can talk about anything and he will always sound interesting

[@jillhbaudhaan]

Bill Nye says, "The lottery is mostly a tax on people who don't know math." LOVE the witty truth!

[@Terrariumclips]

bill again you could have said " no its stupid next question" lol

[@reinforcedpenisstem]

No one who wins ever claims that it was irrational to play it.

[@brookestephen]

Imagine lotteries as entertainment, coaxing you to imagine what you would do with higher income. Imagining that you ACTUALLY win the lottery is probably a treatable psychological problem, since the math precludes it LOL

[@steveb0503]

So, I could either WIN if I play the lottery, or I could LOSE - therefore, my odds of winning are 50/50. Right?

[@steveb0503]

***** I was being facetious...

[@totherik91]

In Hungary we have a lot of types of lottery, and they have more than one category for winning. For example, the most popular is the lotto5, you chose 5 from 90 number, and if you get only 2 number right, you win 4-6 tickets price, if 3 right you get 20-40 times that, so on, if you get all 5 right, the main prise is (now)around 5.5 million USD. There is another, Luxor, the method and numbers are more complex, but they pull numbers every week, until somebody wins the main prise. The money is smaller, but still years worth for small income people. They pulling numbers once a week in almost all games, and i play twice monthly, but i managed to get my balance in positive in this year with all the small winnings. So its not necessarily a tax, if you have a little luck.

[@DrZachMan]

I missed you in DC Bill. I hope to see you eventually

[@vikingbrowski3718]

couldn't agree more

[@Slakbury]

I was trying to equate the chances of winning the lottery (Euro Millions) to something physical in the real world a while ago as well... I realised buying 1 ticket is like picking 1 number on a roulette wheel that's about the size of New Mexico.

[@DennisMoore664]

"Never tell me the odds!"

[@Tribul936]

I will buy one lottery ticket when the jackpot is higher than the odds of winning the jackpot. Recently the Mega Millions jackpot was over 500M$ with odds of winning at 1:275M.

[@Elkington7]

2:33 Well, that's certainly an optimistic way to look at it.

[@lightbox617]

Before you say anything: No, No, NO. Even if you win, you lose more than 1/2 of you winnings to the "state." This is a regressive tax on people who play. People who play are people of lower income. There is a desperation factor. I am especially aggrieved about the New Jersey system (where I live). We were told that proceeds from lottery sales would go to public education. It went to the "General fund" instead. The excuse was" the more money in the "general fund" the more we can spend on education......but New Jersey didn't.

[@Competitive_Antagonist]

1:46 It would be interesting to see how these lottery number methods work against purely random choices. I was interested in this a while ago, but realised that they don't seem to take into account the machine and ball type, which is used in the UK lottery. A while ago I did find historic numbers online, but it didn't mention the machine and ball type. It would be interesting to get back into it. This isn't merely greed, it's also curiosity. The probability alone means you would have to play every day and spend about £20,000 on lotto tickets every day for over 60 years to close the odds. Though that is with only basic "research". You could probably do much better with things like mystery shopper and completing surveys.

[@MrMattDrewitt]

I got an ad for the lottery on this video...

[@chuckwhite3033]

When reward to risk approaches 1:1 (Payout equals the odds per play), then its actually worth it to play $1. Of course, now many lotteries are $2 per play so it never happens now.

[@IronMagus]

2:33 "accidentally." Sure.

[@reynal_omnicide9217]

I feel better now about never have bought a lottery ticket in my entire life xD

[@richmondyayarea]

I don't play the lottery myself but I think of it like this "Two dollars isn't going to break my bank and at worst I got to dream about what I would do if I won and if I won, well, there's a whole lot I would do"

[@chacharandomc1450]

Same here

[@fightfanian]

I don't break myself, but I play every week. It's like buying the ability to dream. To dream that one day my life may improve, the anxiety of possibly loosing my job could go away, that I could travel and not waste my trip worrying about work, that I may be able to leave the world a better place than I came into.

[@johnmccue6973]

2:33 "Accidentally"

[@thewarriorseagull3968]

It would be a lot nicer if they weren't privatised. It used to be that these lotteries were held for good causes, like veteran care, or even state fundraising. Then it could be re-framed as a small donation that may get you an awesome prize, rather than taking a bad bet and getting hosed.

[@uhohhotdog]

I work in a casino. I can tell you for fact there are plenty of rich people that gamble. That includes the lottery.

[@krokodyl1927]

Don't bet more than the occasional one ticket & keep in mind most lottery proceeds help support the states' educational systems. That is a good thing.

[@ahums16]

For someone who plays the lottery? Take that money you spend on a ticket and put it away, in a jar, something, in your house. Do that for a month. See how much has accumulated? What can you put that towards, or get that for? It is this very logic that makes me cringe about having to get insurance. XD I'd have more coverage if I took that monthly bill and stashed it in a bank account I'd name "Insurance". XP

[@randomnumbers84269]

Nice analogy about the insurance bank account! lol

[@baddestmotors4600]

Billy nah for president 2020 😂😂👍

[@parkers3280]

I just changed my mind thanks bill!

[@dragonofthewest8305]

Dying is not the same as losing a Dollar