Scratch Off
As a young kid, I remember the excitement of my grandmother handing me a quarter from her coin purse so I could scratch off the reflective silver layer of her lottery ticket. I don't remember seeing her buy the tickets or winning big, but my introduction to the lottery was innocent on the surface.
My perspective on lottery tickets changed dramatically after witnessing people seemingly addicted to the process, buying tickets consecutively or in large numbers at bodegas (or convenience stores), oblivious to the line of customers with snacks or more practical items like toilet paper. The habit is also evident by the piles of presumably non-winning tickets scattered on a city sidewalk.
When the Powerball lottery winnings went over $1 billion in January, I was working with a crew of people buying a ticket as a group. Up until that point, I had resisted. But the "what if we did win" idea -- along with wanting to be a team player -- lured me in. And although we did not win after I put down $2, the group effort was fun
The issue I have with a lottery system is that it preys heavily on people with the lowest incomes. At least the revenue from the tickets does mostly go to funding education. NYLottery.org claims that "over $64 billion has been funneled into helping K-12 public education throughout the state since 1967." But to me, gambling habits have never felt like the best way to fund schools. It would be ironic if some of the funds went towards gambling addiction public service announcements.
https://www.nylottery.org/information/education-aid
On the bright side, the lottery does have the potential to give people in a rut at least a moment of hope. That is until the winning numbers are announced, and they are not the ones picked.
This month, some states have brought the lottery in as a vaccination incentive. New York State announced "Vax and Scratch," an opportunity for people getting vaccinated to receive a lottery ticket potentially worth anywhere from $20 to the $5 million jackpot. According to Governor Cuomo, there is a 1 in 9 chance of winning any money at all. Maryland, Ohio, and Arkansas have similar incentives. It is difficult to imagine this initiative convincing someone on the fence to get vaccinated. But then New Jersey is offering a free beer.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/states-are-introducing-vaccine-lotteries-some-multimillion-dollar-prizes-combat-n1268048