Sir, – Paul Lavin (Letters, November 10th) makes our life easier with his interesting and detailed analysis of jackpot-winning odds and concludes that to ensure an 89 per cent of winning a €19 million jackpot the punter would need to purchase more than nine million lines.
Assuming, of course, that nobody else also picks the winning line. There is only one, obvious, way not to lose . . .
– Yours, etc,
LIAM PLUCK,
Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
A chara, – When the National Lottery is criticised for the extremely poor odds and low returns across its product range, it refers to the contributions that it makes to Irish charities.
Perhaps we should support the charities directly and stop bolstering a well-funded Canadian Teachers’ Pension fund and foreign directors’ large salaries. Like all gambling, supporting the lottery is a tax on stupidity. – Yours, etc,
PADDY REILLY,
Wilton, Cork.