Is the Lottery Serving the Public Interest?

Lottery (also known as loterie in French) is an organized method of awarding prizes by drawing lots. It is an ancient practice that has been around for centuries, though the word itself might be derived from the Middle Dutch loterij, meaning “action of casting lots,” or perhaps from a combination of Middle Dutch and Middle English, “lot” (like the game of football) and Old English lotta, meaning “to bet.” Lottery remains a popular form of entertainment, even in the face of concerns about compulsive gambling, its regressive impact on poorer individuals, and other public policy issues. Yet despite these concerns, state-run lotteries have generally enjoyed broad public approval and remain highly profitable.

Whether or not to play the lottery depends largely on how likely one believes it is that a prize will be won. People are adept at developing an intuitive sense of how likely risks and rewards are within their own experience, but that skill does not extend to a large pool of participants, like in a lottery.

But while the odds of winning are astronomically low, there is still a strong desire to dream big and the idea that someday someone will win millions of dollars remains an appealing prospect. Those who do play have a disproportionately lower income, less educated, nonwhite, or male player base. Nevertheless, lotteries continue to attract millions of Americans each year, and are a major source of revenue for state governments. But are state lotteries serving the public interest?