It could be you
A professor at university convinced me of the merits of playing the National Lottery during a Game Theory lecture. The probability of choosing the winning combination and landing the jackpot is miniscule, however, the argument ran that if £1 per week does not impact your standard of living i.e. you will not miss £1 per week down the back of the sofa, then play the National Lottery to give yourself that slim chance of the big win. From time to time you will win a tenner or fifty pounds which will offset some of those lost pound coins.
I play by direct debit so that I do not have to remember to buy a ticket each week or even to check if I have won. It’s all automatic. I have not won more than £90, but nor am I missing that £1 each week and one day it could be me.
The same principle applies to premium bonds where the top prize is £1 million. Buy at least one premium bond for £100 to give yourself a chance of scooping the top prize. Plus with premium bonds you are entitled to your original investment back at any time.
(Written January 1st 2009. Republished from Tim's personal blog on startups & small businesses)
