Jacob Prall
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My parents are reasonable people. Sadly, their level-headedness abandoned them when, like a mesmerizing shimmer in the distance, the Powerball jackpot reared its ugly head.
It represented $1.6 billion, folks. A truly massive payout for anyone who bought the winning number. Of course, after taxes and splitting up the prize among your fellow winners, the real amount is much smaller. In fact, there were three winners, each taking home a big cardboard check for $528.8 million.
If they can give away $1.6 billion, just imagine what they’re taking in. Or if you’d rather just know, state lotteries brought in $68 billion in 2013, according to a CBS report. This is where the details of the lottery become disconcerting at best. See, where that money comes from and where it goes matters.
Census data paired with ticket-sales statistics find that low-income households are more likely to buy lottery tickets and spend a higher proportion of their income on the lottery. It’s a cheap way to gamble and an easy way to lose money. Lotteries disproportionately affect low-income and low-education households in a predatory way. Gambling is addictive, and state governments are taking advantage of their most vulnerable citizens.
Many state lotteries claim to support public education and devote millions of dollars annually to schools. But state budgets are slippery. Money becomes diffuse. Twenty-four of the 44 states running lotteries use education as an excuse for their profits. Unfortunately, these states routinely do not see increases in spending on education and at times see decreases. When money flows in from the lottery, other revenue sources are removed: a sales tax or corporate tax, for example. With education budgets stagnating, it’s disgusting to know that state governments spend $500 million annually on advertising.
Meanwhile, your chances of winning are nearly nonexistent. The likelihood of winning the jackpot is usually quoted at around 1 in 176 million. Let’s say you do win. Great. But for every well-adjusted household able to cope with the financial and emotional stresses of winning the lottery, there are a dozen tales of familial betrayal, overdose, abuse, and alienation.
The players don’t win, schools don’t win, even the winners often don’t win. The only people winning are those who make massive profits through the lottery system, systems run by state governments that prey on the fears and dreams of their citizens. It’s irresponsible and shouldn’t continue to exist. And in case you were wondering, my parents didn’t win the jackpot or see things my way. The likelihoods of both were about the same.
