The Ugly Underbelly of the Lottery
The casting of lots for money or goods has a long history, attested to in the Bible and other ancient texts. The modern lottery, however, is relatively new, first introduced to the world in 1466 in Bruges, Belgium. The earliest lotteries were organized by the church and government for charitable purposes, but as time went on they began to be used as an alternative to taxes, with proceeds benefiting everything from municipal repair to kingship and the divine will.
The lottery has grown to be an enormous business, generating revenue for states and sponsors while offering the allure of instant riches for the winners. This is partly because it plays to the basic human desire to gamble, a feeling reinforced by the huge prizes on offer. Lotteries also tap into a sense of meritocracy, a notion that the improbable win makes a person deserving of the prize. The combination of these factors is what makes the lottery so addictive.
Lotteries have a number of different constituencies: convenience store owners, who get to sell tickets; lottery suppliers and their lobbyists (who make generous contributions to state political campaigns); teachers, whose salaries are often subsidized by lotteries; and the general public itself, which largely supports it. It is this last group that has the most influence on whether a state adopts the lottery and, once it does, how large its jackpots will be.
People want to play the lottery because they think it will improve their chances of getting a good job, having healthy children and staying in their homes. The truth is that most players do not understand the odds of winning and, if they did, would not play. They also have an irrational belief that the lottery is not only fair, but will eventually improve their lives.
There is an ugly underbelly to the lottery. It encourages a type of masochism that is both morally and psychologically destructive, and it can lead to addiction. It also skews the distribution of wealth, and in some cases leads to families collapsing under the weight of massive winnings.
One of the more important things to understand about the lottery is that it has little correlation with a state’s actual fiscal health. In fact, it is often more popular when a state is under stress, because of the fear that its citizens will have to pay more in taxes or lose vital services. But even when a state is financially stable, it can still attract substantial support for the lottery because the proceeds are seen as a way of improving education or another public service. This explains why it is not uncommon to hear the saying, ‘Lottery in June, corn will be heavy soon.’ Those are the real roots of the tradition.