Lure of the millions too hard to resist
It is a sum too big to visualise, too enormous to comprehend. Six plastic balls tumbled from a drum and a couple in Bilston were suddenly £9.3 million richer. The dream chased by millions of Britons every week has come true, and we wish these jackpot winners well in a future which will be unlike anything they ever imagined.
Time after time, people insist that if they won the National Lottery it would not change their lifestyle.
And yet, even if winners do not rush out and spend, spend, spend, the simple fact of having a six-figure sum behind them sets them apart from ordinary folk.
Wealth brings enormous confidence. The everyday concerns of a wage packet or a pension, of waiting for buses or hanging around in endless NHS queues are suddenly lifted.
Money may not necessarily bring happiness but, used wisely, it can make life easier, sweeter, healthier and even longer.
It can free us, our children and grandchildren from the drudgery of work. It can enable us to travel or help good causes dear to our heart.
True, we don't need a massive sum like £9.3 million to transform our lives. Half-a-million would do nicely.
In theory, we like the idea of a lottery with a smaller jackpot but which pays out bigger wins to people with three, four or five matching numbers. We say it would be a good idea to nominate the charities supported by a lottery.
On that basis, the lottery firm Chariot launched its rival lottery, Monday, earlier this year. Today comes news that Chariot has flopped and may go into administration.
Whatever we say, the truth is that the lure of massive jackpots, especially Camelot's rollover jackpots, is irresistible.
And so we chase the weekly dream. We gaze in mingled awe and envy at an ordinary Bilston couple whose life is changed forever.
And next Saturday we will buy another ticket, inspired by that brilliantly simple four-word sales pitch:
It could be you.
Advert aimed at the wrong target
The depressing tendency of police to chase soft targets has infested the Gay Police Association.
In an advert condemning homophobic assaults, the GPA uses an image of the Holy Bible, claiming religious beliefs are behind some of these attacks. Yet the Church is more welcoming to gays than ever before.
Islam, on the other hand, Britain's second largest faith group, says gays are sinners who should change their ways or go to hell.
GPA says its advert is meant to be "thought provoking". So here's a thought. Why didn't it use an image of the Koran to make its point?
