The lottery, in which money is drawn for a prize, is one of the most widely practiced forms of gambling. Whether in the form of instant scratch-off tickets, keno, or the Powerball and Mega Millions games offered by state lotteries, it is designed to keep people hooked through frequent play and ever-larger stakes. The same basic psychology that has made slot machines addictive and cigarettes seductive is at work here, though government officials aren’t usually accustomed to exploiting it on such a grand scale.
Across the nation, state lotteries attract about 50 percent of all money bet on games. This is a remarkable figure, given that lottery participation is voluntary. People don’t get forced into it by law or even by their neighbors. In fact, they have to ask the legislature to allow them to play, and many states require a vote by the public before establishing a lottery. Yet the lottery is a tremendously popular form of gambling, with most players reporting playing at least once a year.
Its popularity has led to intense debates about its benefits and risks, particularly those that are associated with low socioeconomic status. Some of these concerns have focused on the potential for problem gambling among those who play, as well as the regressive impact of lottery proceeds in low-income neighborhoods. In addition, critics have questioned the appropriateness of running a lottery as a public service, given that its primary function is to generate revenue.
Studies have shown that lottery revenue has been used for a wide variety of purposes, from building town fortifications to helping the poor. The first recorded lotteries were held in the 15th century, when they were used to raise money for wars, town improvements, and charity.
Lotteries have also been tangled up in the slave trade, and in early America they were often linked to landowners’ debts. George Washington managed a lottery that included human beings as prizes, and one of the winners was Denmark Vesey, who won enough to buy his freedom from his master, then went on to foment slave rebellions.
But despite all of the controversy, state lotteries have overwhelmingly won broad support in referendum votes and public opinion polls. This is partly because they are seen as a way to help the poor and weak, but it also may reflect the public’s perception of the financial health of their state governments. As Clotfelter and Cook have found, the objective fiscal circumstances of a state do not appear to have much influence on its willingness to adopt a lottery. Instead, the success of a lottery is likely to depend on its ability to convince the public that it is an efficient and effective means for raising funds. This has been accomplished by portraying the lottery as an attractive alternative to tax increases and cuts in other public services. It is this appeal that has kept the lottery a popular form of gambling, even during periods of economic stress.