How the Lottery Is Exploiting the Vulnerability of the Population
The lottery is a form of gambling in which numbers are drawn and winners receive prizes. In the United States, most states run lotteries. The prize money can range from small instant-win scratch-off tickets to large multi-million jackpots. In some cases, players can choose to pick their own numbers or have the numbers automatically spit out by machines. Regardless of the type of lottery, winning it often involves a lot of luck.
A recurrent theme in articles about state lotteries is that they are often considered the last chance for those who don’t have other options—whether it be to win units in a subsidized housing complex or kindergarten placements at a desirable public school. There is something to be said for this irrational sense of hope that the lottery may provide, but it’s also important to understand that there are much more insidious ways in which lotteries are exploiting the population’s vulnerability.
First, they draw on the fact that people love to gamble. This is demonstrated by the fact that lottery play varies greatly by socioeconomic status: Men tend to play more than women; blacks and Hispanics play more than whites; younger people and those without college educations play less, even though non-lottery gambling in general decreases with age and educational level; and many state lottery advertisements are deceptive (presenting misleading information about odds, inflating prize amounts, and obscuring the fact that most lottery winnings are paid in annual installments over 20 years, with inflation dramatically eroding the value of the prize). As Clotfelter and Cook point out, the popularity of lotteries does not correlate with a state government’s actual fiscal health—it’s all about selling an idea of a better life through the lottery.