The Pros and Cons of the Lottery
In most of the United States and the District of Columbia, people who want to try their hand at winning a big prize can go to a store that sells state-run lottery tickets. These are similar to regular games of chance except that the prizes, or winning combinations, are determined by a random drawing, rather than by some human being. Typically, a large percentage of ticket sales goes to the costs of running and promoting the lottery; the rest is available for the winners. There are many different types of lottery games, from rollover drawings to daily lotteries in which players must pick a set of numbers. The odds of winning vary from one game to the next, and ticket sales usually peak for those who seek to win the biggest possible prize.
Lottery has a long history, going back centuries. Throughout the Roman Empire, it was a popular pastime (Nero was a fan), and it is attested to in the Bible, where the casting of lots has been used for everything from distributing land to the faithful or determining who gets Jesus’ clothes after the Crucifixion. In the modern era, lottery has become the primary way that states raise money for public purposes.
Most modern lotteries are state-run, with the proceeds earmarked for a particular purpose, such as education. As such, they enjoy broad public support. This support tends to be strongest when the state is experiencing budget problems, since voters can view lottery funds as a painless way for their government to spend more of their tax dollars without enraging anti-tax voters.
As with most forms of gambling, however, the lottery has its critics. The main criticisms usually revolve around its alleged regressive impact on lower-income groups and the fact that it contributes to compulsive gambling and other problem behaviors. The critics also often point to the tendency for lottery revenues to increase dramatically in their early years and then level off or even decline, requiring a constant influx of new games to maintain or grow the revenues.
Some critics also point out that lottery advertising is often deceptive, often presenting wildly misleading information about the chances of winning and inflating the value of money won (since lottery jackpots are typically paid out in equal annual installments over 20 years, inflation and taxes rapidly erode the initial value).
In spite of these criticisms, the majority of states offer some form of lottery, and most continue to draw large, loyal audiences. This popularity makes it difficult for advocates of reform to persuade people to take up the cause. In his article, Cohen argues that the rise of the modern lottery started in the nineteen-sixties, as a growing awareness of all the potential profits in gambling and a growing crisis in state finances collided. He says that, as a result, state leaders turned to the lottery for a solution that would allow them to spend more without enraging an increasingly anti-tax electorate.
