A game of chance in which numbered tickets are sold and prizes are given to the holders of numbers drawn at random; it is often sponsored by a state or a charity as a means of raising money. Also used to describe an activity whose outcome depends on fate, as in “they considered combat duty a lottery.” Also known as a lotteria; from French loterie and Middle Dutch lotje or lotjes, the latter being a contraction of the word “lot” (“fate”).
The American government’s state-run lotteries are a textbook example of how policymaking at all levels is fragmented and incremental, with little or no overall perspective or overview. The result is that, once a lottery has been established, the general public welfare is seldom taken into account in its ongoing evolution. Rather, the lottery is simply an industry that satisfies certain market preferences and demands.
One of the primary messages lotteries convey is that even though you’re unlikely to win, it’s your civic duty to buy a ticket. This may sound like a noble cause, but the truth is that winning a lottery jackpot is not a way to build an emergency fund, and it’s more likely to send you into a spiral of debt. In fact, 40% of Americans who win the lottery end up bankrupt within two years.
A major reason for this is that most people who play the lottery are chasing a dream they will never achieve. They are chasing the allure of instant riches, a hope that is constantly reinforced by billboards advertising the latest jackpots. In a time of growing inequality and limited social mobility, that’s a dangerous message to deliver.
Another problem with state-sponsored lotteries is that they are inherently dependent on volatile gambling revenues. As a result, they are susceptible to pressures for continual increases in the prize money and the number of games offered. This is especially true in an era of anti-tax sentiment, where state governments have come to rely on “painless” lottery revenues.
Unlike other forms of gambling, which may be outlawed or restricted by the government, state-sponsored lotteries are a classic case of government at any level profiting from an activity from which it cannot be taxed. This creates a dilemma for officials, particularly in states that are primarily anti-tax.
Ultimately, what is most troubling about state lotteries is their dependency on volatile revenue sources and the way in which they are marketed to the public. The fact is, most state lottery officials are unaware of the pitfalls that their products and policies can generate. As a result, they tend to develop an unsustainable reliance on these revenues and do little or nothing to mitigate the risks to the general public. For that reason, they need to be carefully examined and subjected to rigorous scrutiny. It’s time to put the brakes on this harmful practice. The public deserves better.