3 ms·

I don't think lotteries are ruining a lot of lives the same way casinos do. One's lottery spending is pretty limited.

by borism 16y ago

MikeCapone 16y ago
That would be my first impression too, but maybe compulsive lottery players are just less visible than casino addicts (because they don't all gather in the same spot)? I'd have to see some numbers to be sure.
- silentbicycle 16y ago
  I worked at a grocery store through high school, and there were people who would spend $25-50 on scratch-off lottery tickets almost every week, immediately re-spending the occasional $5 winner on...more tickets. I'm sure the details vary from state to state (this was in Michigan), but the scratch-off tickets probably get most of the money from poorer gambling addicts.
  - MikeCapone 16y ago
    Yeah, scratch-off tickets resemble casinos a lot more than tickets where you have to wait for numbers to be drawn. There's an immediate pay-off/loss, so you can get that adrenaline rush.
patio11 16y ago
You could buy your child a netbook -- or a shelf of real books -- for the average yearly lottery expenditure in Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. Or you could save the money and use it as a cushion against cash shocks, preventing you from having to go to payday lenders, which are another unsavory business which exists to keep people poor and stupid. See: http://www.chicagoreporter.com/index.php/c/Cover_Stories/d/Illinois_Lottery:_The_Poor_Play_More http://www.chicagoreporter.com/index.php/c/Cover_Stories/d/I...
- borism 16y ago
  > You could buy your child a netbook so they can play MafiaWars or FarmVille...
- MikeCapone 16y ago
  Indeed, or simply go get a couple of personal finance books at the library and turn your life around. Too bad that few people actually do simple things that could improve their situation... If the money wasn't spent on lottery tickets, I'm not sure it would be spent on much better things.
- barry-cotter 16y ago
  which exists to keep people poor and stupid. You mistyped "because" as "to" there.
rdtsc 16y ago
A person can take their whole paycheck or social security check and spend it all on lottery tickets, just like they can spend it all in a casino. They are both ways to live in a delusional fantasy world. What is worse, casinos actually have a higher pay-off ratio than state run lotteries. So if they are going to live a fantasy they might as well go to a casino...

I don't think lotteries are ruining a lot of lives the same way casinos do. One's lottery spending is pretty limited.

by borism 16y ago

I don't think lotteries are ruining a lot of lives the same way casinos do. One's lottery spending is pretty limited.

That would be my first impression too, but maybe compulsive lottery players are just less visible than casino addicts (because they don't all gather in the same spot)? I'd have to see some numbers to be sure.

silentbicycle 16y ago
I worked at a grocery store through high school, and there were people who would spend $25-50 on scratch-off lottery tickets almost every week, immediately re-spending the occasional $5 winner on...more tickets. I'm sure the details vary from state to state (this was in Michigan), but the scratch-off tickets probably get most of the money from poorer gambling addicts.
- MikeCapone 16y ago
  Yeah, scratch-off tickets resemble casinos a lot more than tickets where you have to wait for numbers to be drawn. There's an immediate pay-off/loss, so you can get that adrenaline rush.

patio11 16y ago

You could buy your child a netbook -- or a shelf of real books -- for the average yearly lottery expenditure in Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. Or you could save the money and use it as a cushion against cash shocks, preventing you from having to go to payday lenders, which are another unsavory business which exists to keep people poor and stupid. See: http://www.chicagoreporter.com/index.php/c/Cover_Stories/d/Illinois_Lottery:_The_Poor_Play_More http://www.chicagoreporter.com/index.php/c/Cover_Stories/d/I...

borism 16y ago
> You could buy your child a netbook so they can play MafiaWars or FarmVille...
MikeCapone 16y ago
Indeed, or simply go get a couple of personal finance books at the library and turn your life around. Too bad that few people actually do simple things that could improve their situation... If the money wasn't spent on lottery tickets, I'm not sure it would be spent on much better things.
barry-cotter 16y ago
which exists to keep people poor and stupid. You mistyped "because" as "to" there.

rdtsc 16y ago

A person can take their whole paycheck or social security check and spend it all on lottery tickets, just like they can spend it all in a casino. They are both ways to live in a delusional fantasy world. What is worse, casinos actually have a higher pay-off ratio than state run lotteries. So if they are going to live a fantasy they might as well go to a casino...