Posted: 3/10/16 at 1:16am
I'm not into online lotteries. Never feel like I'm apart of something. Not to mention your odds go way way down when people enter, who have no real interest in attending. I'm disappointed. To the few real lotteries out there, keep it alive!!!!!
Updated On: 3/10/16 at 01:16 AM
Posted: 3/10/16 at 1:20am
Yes, agreed. Half the time when I enter on-line I forget to check if I won, which I never do. Also, the lotto crowds brings shows free publicity because many people just passing by want to know what the excitement is about.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 8:44am
Yea, I miss them. As much as lotteries by nature are about randomness and the luck of the draw, at least with the in person ones you kind of had to earn it with intentions of showing up.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 8:46am
It depends on the show. I do NOT miss the Hamilton-esque lotto crowds.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 8:54am
"Half the time when I enter on-line I forget to check if I won, which I never do."
They email you if you win.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 8:55am
I like attending the lotteries because I can see them pull the names. Does anyone know how they pick them in the digital lotteries?
Posted: 3/10/16 at 9:24am
Absolutely not. As someone with regular work hours it's essentially impossible for me to be at a theater at 5 or 6 for an in-person lottery, so I would struggle to see these shows at all. With the online lotteries I can just enter while at work for a couple days and that typically is enough (excluding Hamilton)
Plus I don't have to spend $5.50 in subway fare to not win.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 9:35am
I've had much better luck with digital lotteries, so I can't say I miss the in-person ones. The only one I can't seem to win despite how many times I enter it is Something Rotten strangely enough.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 9:44am
I've had really bad luck with online lottos but I do miss the excitement of waiting to hear if you're name is going to be called for in-person lottos.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 9:47am
No because I hate wasting time going there just to lose.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 10:21am
No, all lotteries should be online.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 10:42am
Nope. Definitely not.
Also, who are you to say people who enter online don't have intentions or interest in seeing a show? If they didn't have interest, they wouldn't enter in the first place. Don't just make up statements.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 10:48am
I have never won an online lotto, after hundreds of entries, so it's hard for me to feel good about them. I have won in person a number of times, and even losing often means access to heavily discounted "loser" seats.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 10:48am
I have never won an online lotto, after hundreds of entries, so it's hard for me to feel good about them. I have won in person a number of times, and even losing often means access to heavily discounted "loser" seats.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 10:55am
I've only won twice online (Fun Home via TodayTix and Mormon via Twitter), but I have to say of all the current offerings, the only one I'd miss if it were converted to digital-only is Mormon's. The rest aren't as interesting or valuable as experiences for me to care that they're not in-person.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 11:01am
I'd be really curious to know what percentage of online-lottery winners actually show up to purchase their tickets. Anyone out there with insider info on that? Because I agree with a previous poster -- I can't help feeling like people enter them just to enter them, even if they won't be able to get to NYC.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 11:14am
I'd be interested in that, too. I tentatively agree (but not just for disinterest, but entering more than one lottery, or changing plans), which is why I think ALL lotteries should make you claim the tickets within 1h or so, and if you don't claim them, they draw another winner.
I've been in the situation before where I won, but a friend had in the meantime bought me a rush ticket for another show, and I felt terrible that my lottery ticket went to waste, but there was nothing I could do about it because you didn't "claim" them online, so I couldn't reject it either and have it go to another person who entered.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 11:47am
I would guess the number of people that enter without any intention of being able to go is very slim. What would be their point? Are the number of entries higher with online? Certainly...because those that work or choose not to give up time to physically try (for reasons many have state above) CAN now attempt. If the houses felt too many tickets were going unclaimed, wouldn't continue to hold it this way.
I've never won an in person lottery -- so not winning any on line ones is no big deal. (granted, I haven't entered too many of either kind.)
Posted: 3/10/16 at 11:59am
Is it easy to resell online lotto tickets? Otherwise I don't see the point in just "entering to spite others by not intending to see the show" as gfaustswa and Hamhead assume.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 12:06pm
If you win the Hamilton lottery, you do have to pick up the tickets personally. But I'm not sure if you still get wristbanded and have to be the person who enters, but even in that situation, you could have an extra front row seat to sell, which one imagines would not be difficult, given there is a line of people there waiting to buy one. That said, since it is an odd number of seats, I often only enter for one ticket, since the nature of online lottery means they have to pick at least one winner from people who only want one seat.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 12:16pm
I like the online ones because I can enter them on my way into the city, versus having to be at a theater at a specific time to enter. But, when the in person lotteries had more tickets to entries, obviously those were good. So, I guess for me, it depends on the show's popularity.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 12:27pm
I much prefer the in-person lotteries to the online versions; like Scarywarhol, I have never won an online lotto, but have easily won many of the lesser attended lotteries at the floppier shows. Many shows do offer good loser seats too, so there's a good chance you're not wasting a trip over to the theater even if you don't win. For the lotteries that generate massive crowds I don't see much of a difference, but for a vast majority of them the in-person alternative is much better.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 12:30pm
I actually hate lotteries, in person or online. There's something to be said for the commitment of people who would line up for rush tickets, sometimes for hours. Some time investment in exchange for a cheap seat to a sold-out show seems fair to me.
Posted: 3/10/16 at 12:36pm
I completely agree with you on that point, Kad. I would much rather show up at box office at 7am and know that I am "guaranteed" a ticket rather than trusting my luck with a lottery.
