[smtddr]

The message isn't for people like you or me(I play too when the jackpot is some crazy value). It's for the poor & uneducated who think that by spending half of their month's salary on 350 lottery tickets gives them a better chance at winning.

[hobbes78]

But they do get a better chance at winning. Instead of 1 in 175 million, they get 1 in 500 thousand. The problem is either is approximately zero...

[Spooky23]

I think you need to learn whether lottery is a vice in of itself, or a substitute for other vices. I know that in NYC, the lottery basically put the corner numbers rackets (and associated street crime) out of business.

I'm curious if the stereotypical old person wasn't spending a day a month at the casino, would they be drinking more? Sitting around not talking to anyone? Abusing drugs?

We also need to consider the reality of the situation... Is the lotto makin s material impact. People have vices... Sports betting is illegal in most places in the United States, but sports betting is pervasive.