A lottery is an ancient pastime, used for everything from deciding who gets the family’s Christmas tree to divining God’s will. It’s also a popular state-sponsored fundraising mechanism. In fact, Cohen writes that in the era of state budget deficits, politicians “hunted for solutions that wouldn’t enrage anti-tax voters by raising sales or income taxes,” and lotteries came to be seen as “budgetary miracles.”
It’s not hard to see why. The odds of winning aren’t that much different than the average paycheck, and, as a bonus, you get a little bit of a pat on the back from society for playing. The fact that winning a jackpot prize can transform your life in unexpected ways is what keeps people coming back for more.
But the lottery isn’t a magic bullet. The odds are still one in a million, and the more tickets you buy, the less likely it is that you’ll win. Nevertheless, the state-sponsored games continue to lure players in droves. More than 50 percent of Americans play the lottery at least once a year, and they’re disproportionately low-income, less educated, nonwhite and male. The game is also a huge moneymaker for state-sponsored commissions, which employ psychological tactics not unlike those used by tobacco companies and video-game manufacturers to keep players hooked.
In the nineteen-seventies and eighties, when the lottery became a big business in America, it coincided with a decline in the financial security of most working families. The gap between rich and poor widened, job security and pensions eroded, health-care costs rose and, for many, the old promise that hard work and education would always pull them out of poverty began to feel like a fairy tale. The lottery, with its promise of unimaginable wealth, provided an escape.
Those who do win the lottery can find themselves on the brink of disaster. There’s no shortage of anecdotes of winners who end up broke, divorced or even suicidal. Their relationships with family and friends are often strained. They may have to move to a smaller house, downsize their lifestyle and change their name. There’s no guarantee that they will be any happier than they were before the winning numbers were drawn.
The lottery is a gamble, and a dangerous one at that. It’s not a good way to make ends meet, but it can be a satisfying distraction. The question is whether you’re willing to take that risk. If you’re not, that’s a choice you should be free to make. But if you do decide to play, it’s important to know the odds before you do so. And remember, a lot of people are trying to win the same prizes as you, and their minds are just as focused on getting those winning numbers. So, don’t just choose the first ticket you see at the store. Seek out the ones with the lowest odds of winning and increase your chances by playing the less-popular lottery games. You’ll have a better chance of success.