I've got some Premium Bonds and so has Lisa - it's a way we can have some funds off to one side for emergency use in separate accounts just in case one of us becomes no longer available and the other has to pick up the pieces.  And I will occasionally buy tickets for a prize draw; I will admit to that being either to support the old cause the money goes to, or because it's expected of me.  I will not gamble on going out and taking a punt on being able to get home if it's in doubt - in other words I will not take a significant risk in being stuck, unplanned, away from home.

Last night (and far from the first time), GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) cancelled but then re-instated the last train home, and that would have put me personally off even risking an evening out.  Sure, the train ran, BUT I wouldn't have risked it.  Posting a poll here to see if I'm unusually cautious on that, or if others would gamble being able to get home.

Premium bonds are a bit of fun but statistically even with the maximum holding you're better off with an ISA in terms of likely returns on your money.

I'll have an occasional flutter on sporting fixtures just to add a bit of fun if I'm attending!

Votes from me:

Premium bonds - my wife and I have a few, only because our respective parents bought them for us, over sixty years ago, when it was fashionable to do that. Neither of us has received any actual cash benefit from any of those bonds, ever.

Carefully selected investment funds - my wife and I have some of those, through our respective personal pension plans. Those were recommended to us by our independent financial adviser at the time (nearly twenty years ago) and they have performed generally well, over the years.

We stopped doing the lottery many, many years ago, but I have occasionally bought a raffle ticket - generally in a work environment, where it's sort of expected that staff will support it, rather than in any real expectation of winning something. My wife, too, bought a raffle ticket in her own workplace recently - and won something!  A bottle of male shower gel - which she promptly gave to me.

I would not gamble on 'getting home at night'.  Over the years, I have experienced two occasions when my late night return journey home to Nailsea did not work out. On the first occasion, I walked (it's nine miles). On the second, I was put up on their spare bed overnight by a 'good samaritan' in Bedminster - to whom I am eternally grateful (I had enjoyed a few drinks on that occasion.) 

CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

I have previously gambled on relatively rare events, such as snow at Christmas, or election results.
I have now given up any/all gambling. I now consider gambling to be a social evil and feel that I should practice what I preach.

If I was in charge, I would prohibit ALL advertising of gambling.
I would also use the planning system to prohibit any increase in bookmakers shops and other premises in which gambling is available.
I would also return to the old policy whereby bookmakers premises had to be made uninviting, this included only permitting ONE TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) screen, of limited size, hard flooring only without carpets, no upholstered furniture, and no food or drink other than tap water to be available.

Worth checking your premium bonds online to make sure you haven’t missed any winnings over the years.

Premium Bonds, yes.
Recommended by our financial advisor as a way of instant access to cash in times of need.
The occasional church or charity draw, yes. Depends on the charity though.
Last train home, probably (as PrestburyRoad says, it's down to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to get me home).
Horses, etc, no way.

I have premium bonds and will buy raffle tickets on railtours, but rarely win. I would never rely on the last train. I have a holiday to Austria at the end of October where my flight is due into Stanstead at 1910. In theory I could get home to Bristol that evening if there are no flight delays. I have played safe and booked a hotel for that night.

Here are the results ... with percentage of total voters selecting each option:


The thing that shouts out to me is that only one in three of you would gamble on being able to get home if your service was cancelled without alternative.   Which talks to me of the huge danger to actual traffic done by announcing that a train is cancelled, only to re-instate it later.   And the danger of having an unreliable service.  I note that our voting was skewed and in my view are members are resourceful and hardy - so that double up the sentiment to say that people will not risk the train if there's anything but a minimal change of it not being available.

It seems that most gambling is a minority interest only to members. Two specific area - investments (including premium bonds) and raffles do attract the majority of us.   I will admit to holding some premium bonds, and very sadly I haven't won a major prize this month so no million pounds to [inset life plan change] so life goes on.  And for the first time I took part in the Omaze drawn for the £3 million Cornish home and once again failed to win.  Looking at the house on Streetview and GoogleMaps, I don't actually know what we would have done with it had we won it; I suspect that the change to our daily norm would have been challenging which - I observe - is something of a norm for major prize winners.