I was strolling around the mall this evening and I couldn’t help notice this long line of people. My first thought was that there was a product demonstration going on, or perhaps a celebrity was on hand to catch all the attention. Another thought was someone probably giving away something like free goodies or discount coupons or raffle tickets to be able to get something for free.
Free, a word most people would often give attention. Well they say nothing in life is free, and I will agree with them, but if there is something free given to you, expect something to be needed in return, perhaps not now, but in the coming future.Â
Going back, well, people were lined up to place their bets on the local lottery here in the Philippines called “Lotto�. Trying out their luck, it is an indirect way of gambling in the sense that people would pay P20.00 for a combination of numbers, which if the probability of success catches up, will return to them in the form of millions. Not a bad deal for a P20.00 combination but unfortunately, the probability of winning is not favorable, unless a pure stroke of luck aids them in winning such. Another thing is that even if the combination of numbers are correct, there are other people who may have inputted the same number of combination, hence, the prize money will be distributed evenly among them. So let’s say a million would input the same combination, then that would be P1.00 winning for each right? Well that is an exaggerated manner of playing with probabilities and unless a leak, similar to that of the Pepsi Cola bottle caps in the early 90’s were to be recalled, winning may be limited to a manageable amount.
My real curiosity is that I never really heard of anyone winning this thing. Maybe they say one or two did, but afterwards, I have never heard of them making it big in the country. Usually, people who have all the luck are monitored closely by public relation and media groups but unfortunately nothing has been heard. On whether this is a fluke or not is really beyond my knowledge. But the true question stands, does anyone really win from this betting spree or is it just a form of graft and corruption wherein the organizers, mostly arranged by the government of course, something that the Philippines has been notoriously been known for.
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Originally posted on July 1, 2006 @ 7:53 am