3 ms·

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.