3 ms·

The number of people gambling in the US and the UK are fairly similar, both somewhere between 60 and 70 percent. Government lotteries are the most popular form

The number of people gambling in the US and the UK are fairly similar, both somewhere between 60 and 70 percent. Government lotteries are the most popular form in both countries.

k-mcgrady 12y ago
Isn't gambling extremely limited in most of the US? If you take away lotteries (which I personally wouldn't consider gambling) I wonder what the figures are.
- seanflyon 12y ago
  Why do you consider lotteries not to be gambling? In a literal sense they are clearly gambling.
  - k-mcgrady 12y ago
    True but they are very different to betting on sports, events etc. For the lottery you hand over some money, get some random numbers and you might win (same idea with scratch cards). If you bet on say, the result of a football game, you are given odds, you can look at the statistics of both teams, and you can get a better idea of the risk. You can actually use your brain a little. Also, I think while a lot of kids would be told that gambling is bad/dangerous, and they shouldn't do it, their parents likely play the lottery and let the kids pick the numbers.
  - aianus 12y ago
    The odds are so long on lotteries that it's not really the same experience and can't result in some of the same problems. People don't borrow $10,000 to buy Powerball tickets so they can chase their losses, but they do for types of gambling where there's a good chance of winning in one night, like poker or sports betting. Even the terminology is different: you 'buy lottery tickets' instead of 'wagering on the lottery', reflecting the feeling that the money is spent and you don't expect a return.
at-fates-hands 12y ago
This is the one thing that always amused me. I live in Minnesota and they've gone to great lengths to minimize gambling. Any kind of initiative is met with derision and all kinds of attacks that "gambling brings in bad elements and gambling is bad, it destroys families". Meanwhile, I can go into any supermarket, gas station or convenience store and play a myriad of state lottery games. The irony is incredible.

The number of people gambling in the US and the UK are fairly similar, both somewhere between 60 and 70 percent. Government lotteries are the most popular form in both countries.

k-mcgrady 12y ago

Isn't gambling extremely limited in most of the US? If you take away lotteries (which I personally wouldn't consider gambling) I wonder what the figures are.

seanflyon 12y ago
Why do you consider lotteries not to be gambling? In a literal sense they are clearly gambling.
- k-mcgrady 12y ago
  True but they are very different to betting on sports, events etc. For the lottery you hand over some money, get some random numbers and you might win (same idea with scratch cards). If you bet on say, the result of a football game, you are given odds, you can look at the statistics of both teams, and you can get a better idea of the risk. You can actually use your brain a little. Also, I think while a lot of kids would be told that gambling is bad/dangerous, and they shouldn't do it, their parents likely play the lottery and let the kids pick the numbers.
- aianus 12y ago
  The odds are so long on lotteries that it's not really the same experience and can't result in some of the same problems. People don't borrow $10,000 to buy Powerball tickets so they can chase their losses, but they do for types of gambling where there's a good chance of winning in one night, like poker or sports betting. Even the terminology is different: you 'buy lottery tickets' instead of 'wagering on the lottery', reflecting the feeling that the money is spent and you don't expect a return.

at-fates-hands 12y ago

This is the one thing that always amused me. I live in Minnesota and they've gone to great lengths to minimize gambling. Any kind of initiative is met with derision and all kinds of attacks that "gambling brings in bad elements and gambling is bad, it destroys families". Meanwhile, I can go into any supermarket, gas station or convenience store and play a myriad of state lottery games. The irony is incredible.