The "tax" part of the lottery is a component of the gambling part. The gambling part is the product people pay for. Just like a tax on cigarettes, or in some co

The "tax" part of the lottery is a component of the gambling part. The gambling part is the product people pay for. Just like a tax on cigarettes, or in some countries a tax on every consumer product (VAT). You can always avoid the tax by not buying the product or reduce it by buying cheaper products, but we still call it a tax.