4 ms·

I have never played a lottery, I have no interest in lotteries, I don't seek out media that tends to discuss or advertise lotteries, etc, and somehow every time

I have never played a lottery, I have no interest in lotteries, I don't seek out media that tends to discuss or advertise lotteries, etc, and somehow every time it crosses a billion I become aware of the rate of this thing ticking up just because other people are talking about it, and always it's been growing fast at an accelerating rate. If this is just the money going into the pot, 'the house' must be making a killing! Anyone know what the margin on this thing is?

GauntletWizard 4y ago
It's pretty public information, though you have to go to state lottery commissions for all the details: https://fortune.com/2016/01/13/where-the-money-from-the-1-5-billion-powerball-lottery-goes/ https://fortune.com/2016/01/13/where-the-money-from-the-1-5-... Somewhere around half goes to prizes, another quarter to running the lottery, and the remaining bit is the proceeds for state funds. It's not especially effective as a source of fundraising, but it's a hack of a lot better than Vegas. I have spent about a thousand dollars on lotto tickets through my life (including the rebate from my meagre winnings), and I've spent that amount on things that were a lot less entertaining per dollar. You're buying dreams and the flight of fancy, not any tangible benefits.