People regularly call gambling and especially the lottery a tax on the stupid because the odds are so bad it’s like paying a tax for being stupid enough to play

People regularly call gambling and especially the lottery a tax on the stupid because the odds are so bad it’s like paying a tax for being stupid enough to play. It’s just a saying people have, you don’t have to be pedantic, it’s not literal. The OPs point is that it’s gross the government participates in taking money from people through the lottery, many of whom likely have a gambling addiction.