Social Short Story – Playing lottery is even worse than gambling
Photo credit: wallyir from morguefile.com
Once Swapnil was as usual having his morning tea in the tea shop. From a long time he was noticing that an old man is sitting and taking sips of tea very slowly. It was quite understandable that the old man was in some deep thought. He was frustrated as well. He was as if searching for a solution to something, going deeper into the matter gradually and then again coming out of it very slowly in vain. This man though was not first time to this shop but was unlike other times too disturbed. Swapnil hasnt spoken with him though before, but know him very well by his face.
Now Swapnil unable to see this old man’s pain anymore just approached to him and asked, “Sir it seems, you are too disturbed with something. Could I really be that lucky to try to sort this out somehow.”
The old man looked up at Swapnil and said, “Sorry, really, would you? Yes yes, I feel you might be able to help. You are Swapnil by the way right? Yes I did indeed hear about you. Your tricks are really good. What a wisdom you have!!! In fact son, I have come to seek your help only, but after coming, I actually felt a bit hesitant and so was trying to find out a solution by myself only.
Son, actually you might not have ever interacted with us but know every details of us as expected being a member of the same locality. Son, we are not so poor though that we remain half starved but at the same time we are not that rich even to afford some unnecessary expenditures. My son you would be knowing, Susil, for last couple of months has grown up a bad practise. Not drinking, but playing lottery. He would be buying lottery tickets spending so much of money and then would not be that lucky to win the prize amount.
I dont give blame to his luck for being unable to win once atleast till now. That is the case with almost 90% of people in our society. Some has that luck very often and some has luck once in life time and some finishes his whole life seeking for that one time luck even. My son may be is looking for that one time luck, or may be even after having that also he would look for another time, as this wont stop being same like gambling.
And there lies my problem. We don’t have that much to afford to test our luck for so many times. We have told him so many times to stop this, but it seems to be like he is not even ready to pay attention to us. All our money are getting drained away like this, son. We are 5 members, including me, my wife, my son, my son’s wife and his small 10 yrs old boy. Me and my wife remains ill almost half of the year at this age, also his wife’s needs, his son’s education – expenditures are almost increasing like anything day by day. I have retired and unfortunately could not retire with that much lumsum as well to afford this. He also works in a very mediocre company whose pay is also not that good. Now tell Swapnil, what to do in this situation. Would you please help us as I know if you are willing to do so, you and only you could surely be able to do this.”
Swapnil just hugged the old man and said, “I would and yes I could. Dont worry and go home. It would be maximum another 2 days that he would touch lottery tickets but after that tickets would go one way and he the opposite. Also I have seen him coming to this shop right? Let him continue to come as I would play my trick here.”
Swapnil just got hold of few more friends of his in the tea shop to participate in his tricky game to help Susil get rid of the habit of playing lottery. He explained all of them his plan and all were ready for Susil’s presence in the tea shop to implement from the next day. Susil used to come to the tea shop everyday only once in the early morning to have a cup of tea. They all noticed this and planned accordingly.
Next day Swapnil and his friends – Bikash, Haru and all were ready. As and when they saw Susil coming to the tea shop Swapnil symboled to all his friend to start their mission. As Susil taking a cup of tea sat on the bench:
Bikash was just turning over the pages of that day’s newspaper hurriedly.
Swapnil asked, “What are you searching for so excitingly in the newspaper, Bikash?”
Bikash said, “Yaar the lottery ticket numbers’ page. I bought one, whose lucky draw was about to happen yesterday. So checking today in the newspaper if my ticket number by any chance got clicked.”
Swapnil said, “O really? Yesterday? By the way did you ever saw any draw to happen in front of your eyes?”
Bikash said, “No. What do you mean?”
Swapnil continued, “Yes correct, I am just trying to say exactly the same you are understanding. I guess noone might have seen as well. How or why would lucky draw even ever happen when all are decided from very beginning when the tickets are not even printed, about which ticket number to be made winning? Boss dont forget, these are one kind of business. They sell the ticket, different lottery companies I mean, and from the ticket whatever is earned from that they would give winning amount.
Now while the tickets are not even sold, the prize amount is declared. How would they know whether all their tickets would get sold, or even that many would get sold to give them the winning amount? So will they give the amount from their own pocket? Also if they give the amount will they not keep any profit after expenditures like the ticket paper, printing on the ticket? Also do you feel even if the tickets are all sold, the price for each set from beforhand would give them so much high amount as declared for the winning amount like 1 crore, 2 crore?
Listen to me boss. I am partly involved in this business. I know if I tell all these, then it would indirectly make me a loss as noone would buy tickets anymore. But request you not to tell anybody else. Since you all are my good friends, so want to stop you from doing this mistake. They decide the amount, arranges paper, do printing on the ticket, also decide the winning ticket number. Then give the tickets to be sold in the market.
Whatever comes from the ticket they simply keep with them as profit or loss. They tell lucky draw, and then the already decided ticket number. Also may be for fake they would show they are drawing, but would tell the number which was decided beforehand. Not necessary the winning person would be present during the draw. Also noone is bothered who actually won when he knows he didnt win.
But still sometimes you see somebody has won. How? When doing this process they make some profit in huge margin, then one time they really give to someone in actual. See there is no proof that there is ghost. But simply seeing in television, or listening to radio, or reading books we get mesmorized in such a way that we start believing that worst lie.
Similarly no companies need to win faith of people. Seeing or hearing that someone wins may be true or false or even experiencing this by self achieves the faith. Boss I only reaches tickets to different shops. Also know the numbers who would win fake or true. Ask me now. But you would think I have already seen the newspaper. Ok. Let me tell you the number which would win tomorrow, now, for any company you would say, whose draw is yet to happen as mentioned.”
They told him one name and Swapnil pretending to write, wrote just a number in a paper. He gave that to the tea shop keeper to keep with him. They all went, but arrived next day early morning before Susil would have even come, and changed the paper with the paper having the correct number got from the newspaper and kept with the shopkeeper once again. They all went off.
Susil came that day earlier than he usually comes and then was relieved finding none of Swapnil and Swapnil’s friend has yet arrived. He sat down with the newspaper and asked for the paper from the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper gave and Susil was taken aback seeing that they were exactly the same. He returned the paper back to the shopkeeper. Then Swapnil and his friends arrived one after another and before Swapnil came they started pretending and discussing,
“Let Swapnil come today and then would check in front of him and see how much he was correct yesterday.”
When Swapnil came, they pretended to check once more and then getting stunned.
Swapnil said, “Boss why would I lie? Now listen among all, two to three this time have decided to actually give the money to an existing ticket number. But those tickets are all going out from our city. And every time this process would continue alternatively changing the company names periodically who actually would pay to existing ticket numbers for next one year. So dont buy any more ticket for next one year. If this stops your habit, I would say let that be as that is even better than only to spend in vain.”
Susil hearing this immediately got up and went away. Then they kept a bit of watch on Susil for next few days. They were happy to see one day that, when Susil was passing by a shop, from where he used to buy lottery tickets, the shopkeeper called on him to request him to buy.
In reply to that Susil said, “What is there in lottery tickets? This is never ending. If I do not win, I would buy in hope to win one day. If I win, I would still buy to win again. But those who win have good luck and they are 1% of total population. And to belong in that 1% sometimes we keep on spending more but win less or may be nothing. May be I am wrong for those who win, but still for me how to become sure that I would be the next one to have luck.
So here no security to get return as winning amount spending on buying the tickets. Here again when return comes may be comes in huge amount. But why not then spend somewhere where return is less but surity is there. Like FD, Recurring, LIC where return comes as principal and interest, a bit less, but would come for sure. From now on, I have decided to invest in those.”
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