Doug’s Unofficial Notes on the Lottery

Lotteries resemble the United States tax system. They reward the rich and punish the poor. A lottery is a gamble. An adage to live by is "don’t gamble until you have money to lose." If the money you put into the lottery would have better served you by buying food or gas or paying the mortgage then you probably should not be playing the lottery. The Catch-22 of it is that if you are struggling with food, gas, mortgage, or other basic necessities, then the lottery may provide the only opportunity for relieve. In that case, the lottery is not gambling. You are getting value for the money you spend. The money buys hope.

To the wealthy, the lottery is a game. It is exciting and fun to play. For them, the money spent on the lottery does no cause bankruptcy or inability to pay for their basic necessities or affect budgets at all. The wealthy can afford to purchase more entries or tickets thus increasing their chances of winning.

The lottery has been called a poor tax. I am not so sure that is accurate. To reiterate, the poor get value for their lottery purchases. They buy hope. Hope for relief from the oppression of debt. Hope for an opportunity to work a little less. Hope for a different lifestyle. For them, the lottery is opportunity.