The casting of lots to make decisions and determine fates has a long history, from Moses and the Old Testament to Roman emperors giving away slaves and land. The modern lottery, though, came to prominence in the nineteen-sixties, when rising income inequality and the cost of the Vietnam War began to sap state budgets. Balancing the books meant raising taxes or cutting services, and both were highly unpopular with voters. The solution, for many states, was to legalize the lottery.
As Cohen explains, this shift coincided with growing awareness of the tremendous profits to be made in gambling. State officials began to advertise the lottery as an easy, low-risk way for people to invest their money and become rich. As a result, lottery spending soared. In addition, lotteries have been marketed to attract poorer people, and advertising is often concentrated in communities that are disproportionately black or Latino.
Lotteries offer the hope of instant riches in an era of rising inequality and limited social mobility. But they also suck billions from people who could be saving for retirement, paying down debt, or sending their children to college. And the chances of winning are so small that even if you do win, you can quickly go bankrupt.
Moreover, people often use the proceeds of the lottery to buy goods that they might otherwise not be able to afford, which undermines the social purpose of the game. But, despite the obvious pitfalls, there is something irresistible about purchasing a ticket and dreaming of escaping your day-to-day existence. For some people, the chance to win big money is just too tempting to pass up. This is especially true for sports fans, who often spend enormous sums of money on lottery tickets in the hope of nabbing a top draft pick. In fact, Americans spend more than $80 Billion a year on lottery tickets.
Kutupwa kwa kura kwa ajili ya maamuzi na kuamua hatima kuna historia ndefu, kuanzia Musa na Agano la Kale hadi maliki wa Roma kutoa watumwa na ardhi. Hata hivyo, bahati nasibu ya kisasa ilipata umaarufu katika miaka ya 1960, wakati ongezeko la usawa wa mapato na gharama za Vita vya Vietnam zilipoanza kudhoofisha bajeti za serikali. Kulinganisha vitabu kulimaanisha kuongeza kodi au kupunguza huduma, na zote mbili hazikupendwa sana na wapiga kura. Suluhisho, kwa majimbo mengi, lilikuwa kuhalalisha bahati nasibu. Cohen anaeleza kwamba mabadiliko hayo yalitokea wakati watu walipoanza kutambua faida kubwa sana ambazo zingeweza kupatikana kwa kucheza kamari. "Wafanyakazi wa serikali walianza kutangaza bahati nasibu kuwa njia rahisi, isiyo na hatari kwa watu kuwekeza pesa zao na kuwa matajiri.""" Matokeo yakawa kwamba, matumizi ya bahati nasibu yaliongezeka sana. Kwa kuongezea, bahati nasibu zimewekwa kwenye soko ili kuvutia watu maskini, na matangazo mara nyingi hukusanywa katika jamii ambazo ni nyeusi au Latino. Lotari hutoa matumaini ya utajiri wa papo hapo katika enzi ya ongezeko la ukosefu wa usawa na uhamaji mdogo wa kijamii. Lakini pia huchukua mabilioni kutoka kwa watu ambao wangeweza kuokoa kwa ajili ya kustaafu, kulipa madeni, au kupeleka watoto wao chuo kikuu. Uwezekano wa kushinda ni mdogo sana, hata kama utafanikiwa, unaweza kufilisika haraka. Kwa kuongezea, mara nyingi watu hutumia mapato ya bahati nasibu kununua bidhaa ambazo huenda wasingeweza kununua, jambo linalodhoofisha kusudi la kijamii la mchezo huo. Lakini, licha ya mapungufu ya wazi, kuna kitu irresistible kuhusu kununua tiketi na ndoto ya kutoroka kuwepo yako ya kila siku. Kwa watu fulani, nafasi ya kushinda pesa nyingi ni yenye kuvutia sana hivi kwamba hawawezi kuipuuza. Hii ni kweli hasa kwa mashabiki wa michezo, ambao mara nyingi hutumia kiasi kikubwa cha pesa kwenye tiketi za bahati nasibu kwa matumaini ya kupata uchaguzi wa juu wa rasimu. Kwa mfano, Marekani hutumia zaidi ya dola bilioni 80 kwa mwaka kwa tiketi za bahati nasibu.