A competition based on chance, in which numbered tickets are sold for a prize, generally money or goods. It is sometimes used to raise funds for charity or for state projects.
For politicians faced with budgetary crises and an electorate that seemed to be growing more and more anti-tax, Cohen writes, the lottery was a “budgetary miracle.” Lotteries, states argued, were a way for them to increase their spending without raising taxes and risking voter revolt.
As soon as one state legalized the lottery, it was common for the others to follow suit within a few years. Then, as lottery prizes grew, the states began to band together in a series of multi-state lotteries that allowed them to create bigger jackpots and lure more players.
While critics have cited concerns about the potential for compulsive gambling and the regressive impact on low-income citizens, these are not the primary reasons why people play. The real reason is that, for many Americans, the lottery offers the prospect of a life-altering windfall.
Even those who know that the odds of winning are extremely long, continue to play because they have a lingering hope that they will be that lucky winner. Some believe the lottery is their last, best, or only shot at a better life. In this era of shrinking financial security—the gap between rich and poor has grown, retirement and health care costs are rising, and the dream that education and hard work will lead to a secure, middle-class life is fading—many believe that a few million dollars in the lottery is the only way up.