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The real winners and losers in America's lottery obsession

Published January 4, 2023 at 10:00 AM EST
The lottery ticket display behind the counter at College Convenience on Huntington Avenue. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
The lottery ticket display behind the counter at College Convenience on Huntington Avenue. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Americans spend almost $100 billion on state lotteries annually.

That’s more money than you spend on books, sports tickets, video games, music and movie tickets combined.

A few big winners, a lot of losers. Including every state that relies on lottery revenue.

So where does the rest of the money go?

Today, On Point: The real winners and losers in America’s lottery obsession.

Guests

Jonathan D. Cohen, historian. Author ofFor a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America. Program director of American Institutions, Society and the Public Good at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (@JonathanDCohen1)

Related Reading

Next Big Idea Club: “For A Dollar and A Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America” — “Americans spent roughly $98 billion on lottery tickets last year. For reference, that’s more than Americans spent on cigarettes, coffee, or smartphones.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.