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MONEY COMMENT
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I can't remember the last time that I bought a Lotto ticket - it's something I do very rarely, usually on the spur of the moment. As I don't often find myself queuing at a till that sells them, I don't normally get tempted and, anyway, I know all the arguments against the practice. My husband's completely the opposite: he buys one for each of the twice-weekly draws, and will make a special trip to the shops to get one if he's forgotten. Well, it's not a huge amount of money he's spending and, as it's his money, I can hardly complain. Besides, if he wins anything, naturally it'll become our money! However, this week sees the launch of the Lotto's online service, which worries me a bit. Some people get a bit trigger-happy with mouse-clicking, simply because it's so easy to buy things when you're not parting with 'real' cash (I sometimes lose it when I shop at Amazon!). Handing over a pound at the till makes you realise that you're spending money, but if you set up an online account with a subscription service, you may be tempted to buy a few extra tickets every now and then. That's the idea behind it, of course. The National Lottery operators, Camelot, want you to spend more money. The company has given away close to £21 billion in prizes since 1994, and created 1,500 millionaires or multi-millionaires in nine years. However, no win of substance has come my way during that time and I bet it hasn't come in your direction either! If you really must play the National Lottery, do it the old-fashioned way: at the shop counter. It'll make you realise that you're parting with real cash, and you might not spend so much. More: Why The Lottery Is A Terrible Gamble | National Lottery -v- Premium Bonds.