I’ve always had mixed feelings about the lottery. On the one hand, the odds of winning are so ridiculously small that it feels very much like a tax on people who don’t understand probabilities.

On the other, a non-zero chance at becoming obscenely wealthy is significantly different than a zero percent chance.

For a while, I settled on occasionally buying lottery tickets, then ripping them up after I lost.

The problem with that process is that the disappointment of losing far outweighs any fun that might be derived from purchasing or owning the ticket.

And then I made a crucial realization: I didn’t have to check my ticket.

As long as I don’t look at my lottery ticket, it is quite possible that I am a multi-millionaire.

Now, when I buy the occasional lottery ticket, I carefully stash it away.

Am I a millionaire? Maybe, maybe not. I just don’t know. The next time the news broadcasts a story about an unclaimed lottery ticket, however. . . Well, let’s just say it could be exciting.

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