Written by:

Carioca Da Gema

With a jug of a purple drink, a very cheap can of meat, and a loaf of the store brand bread, he stood in front of me, waiting for his turn to checkout. The groceries on the counter tallied way under ten bucks. To my surprise the cashier spoke to him as if he was a regular, and before stepping out with his food, he pulls out of his wrinkled soiled trousers two twenties, to play lottery games.

“…poor are still the leading patron of the lottery and even the people who were made to feel poor buy lotteries. The legalization of gambling has seen a significant increase of young people gambling, particularly in lotteries, and the best predictor of their lottery gambling is their parents’ lottery participation.”

In 2014, lottery revenues contribute to US$21.3 billion to state budgets, and this money is used to subsidize state programs.

If the less privileged are flipping the bill as the main lottery players, does that make sense to allow the poor to plunge deeper into poverty and to keep this scheme going?

Lottery can be categorized as entertainment, as it brings people together who collectively wait for the results with excitement, providing winning odds not worth mentioned.

But hidden in the excitement is hope, belief in something better for themselves, the only way out for many, and a weekly prayer for others.

Lottery tells stories of gambling addiction, poverty, hope, dreams and cash, all blessed by freedom and the states’ unwillingness to educate the poor.

Good Luck!

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