Business & Tech

Didn't Win Mega Millions? You're Not Alone, Says 'Sucker Index'

But how do Missourians rank in lottery spending and the "Sucker Index"? Bloomberg released its results and opinions about those aspects. AOL Daily Finance puts it in perspective in an article stating true "winners" are few and far between.

Have you checked your Mega Millions tickets? If not, here are the winning numbers:

2, 4, 23, 38, 46 and Mega Ball 23

Not a winner? Don't despair. You're not the only sucker out there.

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Bloomberg, a leading source of business and finance news, recently released a new report about a Sucker Index associated with people who expect to win huge profits in state lotteries. One might expect Missourians from the Show Me State to be more conservative in this area, compared to perceived cultural styles of other state residents. However, Missouri was in the slightly upper middle of the pack in lottery spending, ranking No. 18 out of 43 states tracked in the survey. 

To see the complete list of states on the "Sucker Index," click here. All data is for 2010.

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An article published Tuesday on AOL.DailyFinance, states that according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, seven U.S. states don't run lotteries at all: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada. Of the 43 states that do run lotteries, the average payout is just below 60 percent of the revenue dollars collected.

Lucky for Missouri residents, Missouri tied with Arkansas as the fourth ranked state in the 43 tracked for the most generous payouts. Taking the top three spots was Tennesse (No. 3), Oregon (No. 2) and Massachusetts (No. 1).

For the record, the study also identified Massachusetts as the most lottery spending state.


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