Right, so there you are in the queue, clutching your R10 and your lucky numbers, despite the fact that you know you statistically have a greater chance of being hit by a meteorite in the street. So, who’s to say it’s not Flying Meteorite day then?

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Every Saturday you fantasise about exactly how you will spend the millions. A house, a car, a job resignation, a bit of money to charity. Will you tell the relatives and friends, or will they just notice that you slowly are starting to live better?

And every Saturday, despite the disappointment of last week, there you are in the queue again, clutching your lucky numbers, along with strings of other hopefuls. Maybe today is the day.

“And hope is what it is all about,” says Cape Town psychologist, Ilse Terblanche. The lotto is a remote, but possible way to get hold of a vast amount of cash, for which you need no qualifications or working experience. Anyone can win, and it is the promise of this that continues to make this an attractive option, even though you may have lost again and again.”

“People have this idea that heaps of cash will sort out all their problems and advertisements showing people jumping for joy after a supposed win, strengthen this notion.”

“The harsh reality is that while money may solve problems on the short term, unless it is well looked after, it will not continue to look after you. Splashing out on unnecessary luxuries and going on expensive shopping sprees, or doling out cash to endless relatives, will make the money run out quickly,” says Terblanche.

“Many people can find themselves back to square one, not long after their winnings. These are often people who see money as an instant cure-all and who don’t have the ability to do long term planning.”

“And then of course there are those who have a problem with gambling addiction. Many people who would not want to bet on horses or go to a casino, will go to the corner café to buy lottery tickets.”

“These are the people you see spending a thousand or two on lottery tickets (unless they are buying for a group of people, of course), while they often look as the money could have been well spent on buying new clothes.”

Susan Erasmus Health24

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