A gambling game in which tickets are sold and prizes awarded by a random drawing. Also used to describe anything that appears to depend on chance: “Life is a lottery.”
Lotteries are not only addictive, but they can have long-term effects on the lives of those who play them. It’s not uncommon for people to find themselves worse off financially than they were before they won the big prize. Lottery winners may not only find themselves in debt, but they’re likely to spend a significant portion of their winnings on gambling, which can further decrease their quality of life.
Despite the fact that most of us know that there is very little chance that we will win, we keep playing. According to a recent study in South Carolina, 13% of participants said they play the lottery at least once a week (“frequent players”). Those who are most likely to be frequent players are high-school educated men in the middle of the economic spectrum.
Unlike other forms of gambling, lottery proceeds are not generally taxed. That’s partly why so many states use them to raise money for public projects. But there is an ugly underbelly to the practice: Lotteries can be seen as a form of hidden taxation. Moreover, the premise of a lottery is that you’re doing your civic duty by buying a ticket, even if you don’t have much chance of winning. This message is especially appealing to low-income individuals.
