Competitions were games we would enter for a chance to win a prize – normally something valuable such as a car, house, or money. The most popular and enduring competition was the National Lottery. Every week, millions of people selected numbers on tickets in the hopes of winning millions of pounds. I only entered the National Lottery a few times, but each time I did, from the moment I purchased the ticket, I began imagining breaking the news of my victory to friends and loved ones. In most cases I would take them for dinner, waiting until the bill had arrived to make my announcement. There would be grateful tears as I revealed I had decided to share a small fraction of my winnings with them in recognition of their contribution to my life. After playing out several such scenes, my thoughts would then turn to the future – one free of financial worries and filled with foreign travel, expensive dinners and the latest iPad. These fantasies would continue until the moment the numbers were d…
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