Lottery is a game where players buy tickets for a chance to win a prize if the numbers on their ticket match those randomly drawn by machines. It’s a form of gambling that’s legal in most states. Its popularity reflects growing economic inequality and newfound materialism that asserts that anyone can get rich through luck or hard work. Its success also echoes anti-tax movements that led lawmakers to seek out alternatives to taxing the public, and lotteries are among them.
While some people are simply addicted to gambling, others play the lottery to escape a humdrum existence. They believe that a few dollars can make them wealthy, even if the odds of winning are slim to none. The founders of America were big fans of lotteries, and Benjamin Franklin ran a series to raise money to build Philadelphia’s defenses. John Hancock’s Boston lottery helped fund Faneuil Hall, and George Washington ran a “Mountain Road” lottery to finance a route over a mountain pass in Virginia.
But the gamble can backfire, especially for lower-income citizens. Many studies show that the bulk of lottery play and revenues are disproportionately drawn from low-income neighborhoods, and those playing tend to have less disposable income than the average American. They might also have more trouble saving for things like retirement or college tuition, and the lottery’s advertising campaign reinforces an irrational belief that someday they will hit it big. And even if they don’t, the fact that someone else did gives them a glimmer of hope, too.