A lottery is a gambling game in which people pay a small amount of money for the chance to win a large sum. It is one of the oldest forms of public entertainment, dating back to ancient times. It has been used to give away property, slaves, gold coins, and even land, and it was a popular way to raise funds for both private and public projects in colonial America. In fact, it played a role in paving streets, building wharves, and establishing churches. It also financed some of the first American universities, including Harvard and Yale. Even George Washington sponsored a lottery to fund his attempt to build the nation’s first road across the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In modern times, state lotteries are a major source of income for many states. They are often promoted through television and radio ads, and people buy tickets at convenience stores and online. The profits from ticket sales are used to provide prizes for players and to pay the cost of running the lottery. Most states also use some of the proceeds to help with education, infrastructure, and social programs. However, some states have banned lotteries, while others are increasing them or expanding their reach.
Cohen’s book is primarily about the lottery in its modern incarnation, not the early history of the practice. He writes that the lottery became a popular form of state financing in the nineteen-sixties, when a population boom and the costs of the Vietnam War put a strain on many states’ budgets. For those that provided a generous social safety net, balancing the budget became increasingly difficult without raising taxes or cutting services, both of which would enrage voters.
The lottery seemed like a perfect solution. It could generate enormous revenues without arousing voter anger and, as Cohen points out, would not “destroy the sense of fairness that Americans hold for themselves.”
Lottery revenues typically expand dramatically after a lottery is introduced, but they eventually level off or decline. This is due to a phenomenon known as “lottery boredom.” To avoid this, lottery officials constantly introduce new games to keep revenue levels high.
Despite the fact that people’s odds of winning the lottery are very low, the attraction of lottery tickets is undeniable. The idea of becoming rich through a small investment appeals to the human desire for wealth and power. It is no wonder, then, that the lottery remains popular despite a slew of studies that show it is a waste of money.
While the wealthy do play the lottery (one of the largest jackpots ever was a quarter of a billion dollars), they typically purchase fewer tickets than the poor, and their purchases constitute a much smaller percentage of their incomes. And, if they want to limit their exposure to risk, they can always opt for a scratch-off ticket with lower prize amounts and less expensive odds. The same is true for the lottery’s main target audience: middle-class and working-class families.