In the United States, most states have some type of lottery, where people pay a small amount to play for a chance at a large prize. Often the winnings are awarded in the form of an annuity, which pays out an annual payment for 30 years. While the lure of winning a lot of money is strong, there are many reasons that playing the lottery may not be a wise financial decision.
For one, the odds of winning are extremely low. The likelihood of picking all six numbers is less than one in ten million. But the real issue is that lotteries dangle the promise of instant wealth in a society where social mobility is increasingly limited. So even though most people know they’re not going to win, there’s a lingering feeling that somehow they will.
There’s also this sense of meritocracy, that we all have a shot at becoming rich if we just work hard enough. This is what lottery advertising aims to tap into. But there’s a deeper, more disturbing side to this phenomenon: It’s the sense that we’re all entitled to something that’s not necessarily earned but simply given.
In some ways, this is a fair arrangement, especially when there’s something that’s in short supply but still in high demand. That might include kindergarten admission at a reputable school or an apartment in a subsidized housing complex or a vaccine against a rapidly spreading disease. But it’s not always fair, especially when the lottery is run as a business.
Fortunately, a percentage of the proceeds from lottery tickets are often donated to good causes, so there is at least some positive aspect to this sort of gambling. However, I’ve never seen any studies showing how much of a difference it makes to the state’s overall tax revenue. It’s probably not a huge number, but it’s certainly not enough to justify the amount of money that goes to lotteries.
The other problem with the lottery is that it encourages poor behavior by enticing people to spend more money than they can afford to lose. And, of course, there’s the risk that they’ll become addicted to gambling. But there’s a better way to raise money for good causes than a state-run lottery, and it’s called charitable giving.
