Business: Lottery: Alternative
Lightning Lottery   (+5)  [vote for, against]
After all...you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than winning the lottery

Winning the lottery is pure luck, much like getting struck by lightning, which I suppose is pretty bad luck, but apparently more probable (a quick google indicates that on average lightning strikes the earth 100 per second)

What I propose is a $1.00 a week entry fee into the lightning lottery. This can be done online for as many weeks as you wish. If you are unlucky (or lucky) enough to get struck whilst covered, then you get the predetermined jackpot of that week (or split it with some other poor sods).

The risk is obviously that you will get a number of fools flying kites with keys attached to them during a thunderstorm and whatnot, so a thorough disclaimer would be essential. You would also need a foolproof method of determining whether someone was actually struck and didn't just decide to get intimate with a toaster etc.

Hmmm...should I have posted this under 'insurance'
-- shinobi, May 27 2009

It is insurance. Baked.
-- simonj, May 27 2009


I would hazard that there are more lottery winners than lightning strike victims. (//on average lightning strikes the earth 100 per second// is pretty irrelevant, earth doesn't win)
-- loonquawl, May 27 2009


//It is insurance//
I'd say more of a tontine.
-- coprocephalous, May 27 2009


I like it, but I just plan need electrocution insurance. I'm an electrician by triad and I have not gotten a good bolt yet, but I don't know an electrician with 15years that has not had at least one.
-- dev45, May 27 2009


//I'm an electrician by triad // Couldn't imagine a worse reason for entering into a vocation. Hey, if you do work on my house could you kill the bill?
-- 4whom, May 27 2009


*trade opps

Depends I'll hit it with a million volt Tesla coil if you like but I still need the money.
-- dev45, Jul 02 2009


There are about 60 lightning *deaths* per year. So there must be many more non-fatal strikes to humans - probably not far off the number of big lottery winners?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 02 2009



random, halfbakery