People Flock To Web Lotteries

from the and-what-do-they-do-with-the-spam? dept

An article about the continued popularity of web lottery sites. You fill out lots of information about yourselves for a miniscule chance at winning some money. The money promised might not be as big a deal as promised either. I like how they describe the way one woman who officially won "$3 million" will get her money. She gets $15,000/year for the next forty years - at which point she'll then get a lump sum payout of $2.4 million. While it certainly is nice to get an extra $15k a year - and even in 40 years $2.4 million won't be a bad deal, I wonder what the likelihood is of her ever actually getting that money. Obviously, the dot com isn't likely to last until next year, let alone 40 years, but this money comes from an insurance company, so it might work out. But, then again, a lot of stuff can happen in 40 years. If I were in her shoes, I'd see if I could find someone willing to buy off the prize winnings for a lump sum up front. Cash in hand has to be better than waiting 40 years to see if it all works out.