It's JUMBO idiot season again.

[Taro Toporific]

Damn, the fools are lined up 20 meters to buy the end-of-year, "Jumbo" lottery tickets at lunch today. It's the worst payout of any lottery on the planet (and lotteries are only for the uneducated) but the line is packed with banking employees and "elite" whitecollar workers. Sheesh.

Caption:
TOKYO, JAPAN: Campaign girl Yumiko Kataoka shows off a large sample ticket of the 300 million yen (2.8 million USD) Year-end Jumbo Lottery before a Tokyo ticket booth 22 November 2004. /AFP/Getty Images

[canman]

When I tell my students that the lotteries in Canada pay out a minimum of one million twice a week ,they can't believe it. I don't even try to explain the powerball jackpots they have in the US. What I would like to know is what happens to most of this lottery money. On the other hand maybe I don't. I know that back home they fund a lot of community projects and the like. I get the feeling most of that money goes to Kabukicho in the wallets of the fat cat politicians.

[Taro Toporific]

... I get the feeling most of that money goes to Kabukicho in the wallets of the fat cat politicians.

The Japan JUMBO is privately run under government license. It's payout is nill and it just pays a license fee to public coffers (the wallets of fat cat politicians). There are claims of lottery profits being spent on parks but I've never see any sign of it.

Lottery money meant for public works spent instead on mayors' overseas trips
Oct 19, 2004
WAKAYAMA ---The Municipal Development Corp. in Wakayama Prefecture has been spending millions of yen in lottery proceeds to send local mayors on luxurious overseas sightseeing trips since 1998, according to officials of a quasi-public company ... In the case of Wakayama Prefecture in fiscal 2003, 720 million yen from the proceeds of the Summer Jumbo and Autumn Jumbo lotteries was allocated to the Municipal Development Corp.. (Japan Times Online, Japan -- News) http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20041019a8.htm

[dimwit]

The Japan JUMBO is privately run under government license. It's payout is nill and it just pays a license fee to public coffers (the wallets of fat cat politicians). There are claims of lottery profits being spent on parks but I've never see any sign of it.

It is worse than the New Years Postcard 'prize' system?

[stuckinkysuhu]

Well, yes they are giving out 300 million yen for first prize but keep in mind 74 people get this. Also 148 people will be taking home 100 million yen. As a total, that's 37 billion yen - very competetive with the powerball jackpot. Sure it's more flashy to give it all to one person, but if you did a study on Japanese spending habits you might find out that this way makes them more likely to plunk down 300 yen on a lottery ticket.

[Taro Toporific]

Well, yes they are giving out 300 million yen for first prize but keep in mind 74 people get this. Also 148 people will be taking home 100 million yen. As a total, that's 37 billion yen - very competetive with the powerball jackpot. Sure it's more flashy to give it all to one person.

So ka. Japanese "fairness" -- their most amusing cultural value.

[Watcher]

The Jumbo system sucks. I never won. Well... okay, I won my 300Yen back twice but the last time I played I got nada.

The 6/49 sucks, too. I never won it either.

I wouldn't be so bitter if I'd won. I also wouldn't be posting here with you other non-winners.