Is the Lottery a Public Good?

A lottery is a type of gambling in which numbers are drawn at random to determine winners. Many governments organize and sponsor lotteries, with proceeds often used for public benefit. However, lotteries are also frequently criticized as addictive forms of gambling, and some states have tried to limit their use.

Lottery appeals to people’s natural desire to dream big, and to the meritocratic belief that they’ll be able to win a fortune. People buy lots of tickets, even though they know the odds are long. They have quote-unquote “systems” (that don’t jibe with statistical reasoning) about lucky numbers and stores and times of day to buy tickets. But the astronomical odds don’t deter them, because they feel they have to try for something big.

Moreover, a message that is repeated over and over is that the state benefits from lotteries—even if it loses money on them. This is not accurate, but it gives the impression that playing a lottery is a civic duty to support your government, or at least the education system.

Moreover, because lotteries are run as businesses, with a focus on maximizing revenues, their advertising is geared towards persuading people to spend money on them. As a result, they promote gambling, and may lead to negative consequences for the poor and problem gamblers. Finally, running a lottery at cross-purposes with the state’s wider public interest raises the question of whether it is an appropriate function for a government.