Monday, July 7, 2008

Statistical probability

This is a great story. According to CNN, the Virginia State Lottery continued to sell tickets for which the top prize had already been won. Some businessman figured out that the top prize was no longer available and is now suing the state lottery commission for damages equal to the number of tickets that were sold while the top prize wasn't available ($85 million).

So, to be clear, the odds of winning the top prize in the Virginia State Lottery are 1 in 175 million. This guy's odds of winning that prize had gone from astronomically negligible to actually zero. And now he's suing.

This is why everyone should be required to take a basic statistics course before playing the lottery.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I believe this actually happens regularly with lotto tickets the scratch off kind. I think they say part of the reason they continue to sell them is for the lesser prizes.
What got me was one of my friend's 4 year old daughter went up to a vending machine and asked her mom for a dollar to play! She says Dad taught her that one.