On the day I turned 18, I went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some dry ice, a pack of cigarettes, and a lottery ticket (and I registered to vote). I wasn’t doing a science project and I don’t smoke, but those are just a few of the cool “rights” that you get when you’re 18 (you can also get tried as an adult for crimes, but I didn’t really feel like testing that one out). This was the only time I’ve ever purchased a lottery ticket, but I ended up winning 20 bucks, so yay me.

My godfather (no, not THAT godfather) likes to buy lotto tickets sometimes, but even he is considered tame compared to this guy. Apparently, last year, Ray Otero spent $30,000 on the lottery (he only makes $40,000 a year, and he has a wife and kids). For the last three years, this guy has been effectively throwing $500 to $700 down the drain per week. But what caught me most off guard is that he looks at these tickets as an “investment” of sorts. Which brings me to my point: gambling is not the same as investing.

In a survey released by the Consumer Federation of America and the Financial Planning Association a few years back, people were asked what they thought would be the most practical way to gain several hundred thousand dollars. A staggering 21% said that the best way would be to win the lottery. The odds of winning the Mega Millions are 1 in 135,145,920, which is about 1500 times less likely than dating a supermodel (1 in 88,000), 200 times less likely than winning an Olympic medal (1 in 662,000), and 13 times less likely than becoming president (1 in 10,000,000). So yeah. Good luck with that.

Just for fun, let’s do a little math. Let’s imagine that you ditched two lottery tickets a week and saved those 2 dollars instead. That’s $520 plus interest over five years. Now let’s say you invested that $520 plus interest and get a 10% annual return. With this initial investment, that means that over the next 35 years, you’ll have accumulated $15,000! Now that’s what I call hitting the jackpot.

Obviously, the odds of winning $15,000 are stacked against the gambler. But then, why do 21% of people still choose winning the lottery instead of saving something every month over a longer period as the most effective wealth-building strategy? I think it has a lot to do with a desire for instant results, coupled with an “it only takes one ticket to win” attitude. But this mindset will inevitably lead you astray. Investing takes time, and at first, it might not feel like you’re getting anywhere. But if you keep at it, you’ll end up a lot better off than that guy who’s glued to the lotto machine, looking for nothing but a quick fix.