A game of chance in which numbered tickets are sold and prizes are awarded to winners determined by lot or drawing: usually sponsored by the state as a means of raising money. Also used to refer to something whose outcome appears to be determined by chance: “Life is a lottery” (Julius Caesar, Merchant of Venice).

Historically the main argument for state-sponsored lotteries has been that they are valuable as a source of relatively painless revenue, because the winners voluntarily spend their money and thus relieve pressure on state governments to raise taxes or cut spending on essential services. This dynamic makes lotteries particularly popular during times of economic stress, when the public is particularly sensitive to threats to their standard of living.

But the problem with this argument is that it focuses on an inextricable human impulse to gamble and overlooks more serious issues. For one, state-sponsored lotteries promote gambling by dangling the promise of instant riches to a population with limited economic mobility and opportunities. Billboards proclaiming massive jackpots inflate the horizon of potential wealth and drive ticket sales, but it is statistically improbable to ever win anything that size, especially after deduction of organizing costs, profits for the sponsor, and income taxes.

Further, lottery participation disproportionately affects low-income neighborhoods and is associated with increased risk of gambling addiction. Governments should not be in the business of promoting vice, especially when it skews towards lower-income communities. Instead, state officials should refocus efforts to encourage financial responsibility and emphasize that God calls us to earn our wealth honestly through diligence.