The word lottery carries a certain ominous air: it suggests that somebody, somewhere is going to lose. In fact, that’s often the case. But for many, winning the lottery is also a dream come true, and for some lucky individuals it’s even a life-changing event. Whether you’re trying to buy a luxury home world, close all your debts or take that once-in-a-lifetime trip, the tips you’ll find here will help you become a lottery winner and live the dream.
Lotteries have been around for centuries, from the earliest keno slips to the modern-day Powerball drawing. But in the late twentieth century, they came to symbolize something different: state-run gambling, a solution to a fiscal crisis.
States were facing a growing population and soaring inflation, but they couldn’t raise taxes or cut services to keep up with the bills. And the federal government was less than eager to bail them out with a windfall of money.
Lotteries seemed like a great alternative: a way to bring in new revenue without having to ask voters for more money. And in many ways they were, Cohen writes. But, he adds, the messages lottery commissions send out, from the look of scratch-off tickets to the math behind their ads, are coded for addiction. They aim to convince people that winning is possible, and, he says, they aren’t above availing themselves of the psychology of addiction. This isn’t anything new — tobacco companies and video-game makers have been doing it for years.