Lottery Advertising and the Public Interest

The casting of lots to determine a person’s fate has a long record in human history—there are even a few instances in the Bible. But the use of lotteries to distribute material gain is much more recent. The first recorded public lottery to award money prizes was held in Bruges, Belgium, in 1466. Since then, a host of state and national lotteries have emerged, offering everything from a lump sum of cash to expensive vacations.

In most states, the value of a prize is derived from a pool of funds drawn from tickets sold (or a portion thereof) and minus the cost of operation and promotion. The pool is augmented by taxes or other revenue streams. Typically, the total prize pool is set prior to the start of a lottery and is fixed, although a large prize can be awarded if ticket sales are particularly high.

To increase sales, most lotteries have a “promotional component” that encourages participation. This involves promoting the chance of winning and describing the benefits that can accrue to ticket holders, such as the ability to purchase goods or services at lower prices. This approach has raised serious ethical questions, and some critics have argued that it is a form of gambling.

The vast majority of people who play a lottery do not understand the odds involved, and they are often misled by lottery advertisements. Many believe that their chances of winning are greater if they buy more tickets. Moreover, they tend to rely on quotes-unquote systems that are not based on statistical reasoning, such as buying tickets in certain stores at particular times of day or playing only certain types of games. In fact, the odds of winning a lottery are no different than the odds of any other game or event.

In addition, lottery advertisements convey a message that the money that is spent on tickets is being “given back” to the community—even though the proceeds are ultimately used to fund government programs. This practice, called “earmarking,” has been criticized by critics as misleading, because the amounts that are earmarked actually allow the legislature to reduce appropriations for other purposes.

Because lotteries are commercial enterprises with a focus on maximizing revenues, they are essentially at cross-purposes with the state’s broader public interest. By promoting gambling, lotteries contribute to problem gambling, social problems, and the loss of productive jobs. They also subsidize the advertising of unhealthy foods and drugs.

Nevertheless, most states have adopted lotteries. The reason for this has been the attractive image of a “painless” source of revenue, with players voluntarily spending their money to benefit the public. But, as lottery advertising has grown in the past few years, these claims have come under increasing attack. A new generation of critics is raising serious ethical and policy concerns about the way that lotteries promote and exploit gambling. They question whether the one-in-a-million chance that lottery advertisements emphasize is a genuine opportunity, or simply a mirage that makes it easier to sell gambling to the public.