When scratchcard games become too difficult...

[Mark R]

A LOTTERY scratchcard has been withdrawn from sale by Camelot - because players couldn't understand it.

The Cool Cash game - launched on Monday - was taken out of shops yesterday after some players failed to grasp whether or not they had won.

To qualify for a prize, users had to scratch away a window to reveal a temperature lower than the figure displayed on each card. As the game had a winter theme, the temperature was usually below freezing.

But the concept of comparing negative numbers proved too difficult for some Camelot received dozens of complaints on the first day from players who could not understand how, for example, -5 is higher than -6.

I phoned Camelot and they fobbed me off with some story that -6 is higher - not lower - than -8 but I'm not having it.

Clearly, the problem isn't the general public's mathematical prowess, it's the failing business acumen of the game's designers who thought the public would be able to cope with such advanced concepts as negative numbers.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

LOL, stupid chavs.

 

[dainthomas]

I'm absolutely shocked this didn't occur in the US.

 

[waggy]

hahah wow.

 

[coldmeat]

People like that don't deserve to win.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: dainthomas
I'm absolutely shocked this didn't occur in the US.

Agreed, but then again if it were in the US, I'd be surprised if the 'victims' understood how to use a touchtone phone to report the problem.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: coldmeat
People like that don't deserve to win.

Oh they do, they just win a punch in the face instead.

 

[Jeff7]

I did a survey for a speech recently. Which is largest:
1 million
1 trillion
1 billion

One person said "1 billion."
I did it wrong though - I should have just made it between million and billion. People do mix them up more frequently than you'd think.
How many sets of 3 zeroes after 1000?
Million - mono. One.
Billion - bi. Two.
Trillion - tri. Three.

Yup, too tough to remember the sequence.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper
LOL, bloomin' chavs.

Fixed.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: dainthomas
I'm absolutely shocked this didn't occur in the US.

Cept temps don't get that low in the U.S. w/ Fahrenheit. It'd be even worse if it somehow involved fractions.