I've always hated the lottery. I opposed Minnesota making it legal way back in the day, and using the argument that the state should get in on the money since people would "do it anyway." It's a wealth transfer from the people who can least afford it. Yeah, sure, it's selling hope. But it's not a cheap sale.
I just heard Jonathan Cohen, author of the book For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America, cite the statistic that Americans spend $98 billion a year on lottery tickets. That's a large share of the discretionary spending of low-income people, he says.
If the lotteries weren't state sponsored, yes, some people would still play them, but their wide availability and state imprimatur make them more socially acceptable and part of everyday life. People give scratchcards as gifts, the big drawings are covered on news broadcasts, and the cards themselves have become a major revenue source for convenience stores everywhere as other profit margins are destroyed by corporate greed.
Cohen was a recent guest on the Why Is This Happening? podcast.
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I see that I posted once before about my thoughts on lotteries.
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