On winning the lottery

I bought my first lottery ticket recently.

 It was a $20 scratch-off that paid me a $40 prize.

 Winning produced a nice little thrill, so I bought another $20 ticket right away. And lost.

 I put out $40 to win $40 that day.

 I’ve bought three $20 scratch-offs since then and won nothing.

 To date, I’ve paid out $100 to win $40.

 The house always wins in the end.

 Still, some pe...