It's rational. Sometimes. If the expected value is more than a dollar, and the ticket costs a dollar, you should buy a ticket : See: http://www.slate.com/arti

It's rational. Sometimes. If the expected value is more than a dollar, and the ticket costs a dollar, you should buy a ticket : See: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/do_the_math/2001/08/is_powerball_a_mugs_game.html http://www.slate.com/articles/life/do_the_math/2001/08/is_po... If you limit it to about two dollars a year it's also a cheap entertainment to fantasize about hitting the numbers. Otherwise it's a tax on people who can't do math.