> The -odds- are that someone is going to win, and if you don't play at all, it is impossible to win. The odds are that if you play, you're going to lose, and

> The -odds- are that someone is going to win, and if you don't play at all, it is impossible to win. The odds are that if you play, you're going to lose, and if you don't play at all, it's impossible to lose. And while it doesn't do to be mean and judgmental towards individuals or even populations who do things like play lotteries, we can make normative judgements. For instance: "enterprises which promise riches while delivering poverty are dystopian, wrong, and practically fraudulent", and "entertaining yourself with dreams of unearned riches runs counter to all the values which will help people achieve real, meaningful value in life, and as such ought not be celebrated."