( CNN ) -- With at least two winners sharing a prize of more than a half-billion dollars , Tuesday 's Mega Millions lottery may have drawn more players than any previous drawing . But they may be the lucky ones , in more ways than you think . Related : Woman is Georgia winner of $ 648 million Mega Millions jackpot . Most of those who play know they have little chance of winning anything . Ever . And most of them probably ca n't afford to play , anyway . Still , they line up to place their dollars on the counter , all for a snowball 's chance at an instant miracle , even as that miracle has gotten harder to attain . Lotteries and games of chance such as the Mega Millions , or more traditional casinos , have come in vogue among politicians seeking to raise revenues without raising taxes . This seems like a net win all around — players receive the entertainment of playing and we all enjoy the benefits of higher funding for schools or other public works . Unfortunately the reality is not so rosy . Related : You won the big one -- now what ? Those in poverty or near poverty not only are more likely to play the lottery than those with greater means , they also spend a larger percent of their money on average on these games of chance . Some have argued that this may not be such a bad thing if the poor basically play the lottery as a cheap form of entertainment . However , when we look for the telltale signs of entertainment behavior , they are absent . We do n't see evidence that changes in the availability or price of other entertainment , movies for example , lead to changes in lotto purchases . Rather , we find there are big jumps in lottery purchases when the poverty rate increases , when unemployment increases , or when people enroll on welfare . Lottery playing among the poor is a Hail Mary investment strategy — a small ray of hope among the hopeless . But this false hope is , by design , an attempt to lure the emotional decision-maker . Recent changes in the Mega Millions lottery have reduced the chances of winning in order to increase the size of the jackpot . By changing the range of the six possible numbers drawn -- from between 1 and 56 to between 1 and 75 -- the already improbable odds of 1 in 176 million have diminished to a virtually impossible 1 in 259 million . Fewer big winners means larger jackpots , more hype and more players . And more money for the lotteries . Related : $ 800 million in lottery prizes unclaimed . Such changes have occurred as the lottery commissions have become expert in swindling players out of their money . Humans are n't particularly good at dealing with risks and gambles . We tend to believe that rare events are more common than they truly are . Moreover , we do n't discern between small changes in very low probabilities . Thus , few will have noticed that the odds of winning the lottery reduced from 0.000000006 to 0.000000004 for any given ticket . But our eyes are drawn to the steadily increasing prizes—prizes that are now designed to eventually exceed $ 1 billion . Such astronomical amounts draw in even those who consider themselves very prudent . When the prizes get this large , many start to rationalize the purchase of a ticket . In the end , there are few who win money , and many who simply lose a few dollars with nothing to show for it . But those few dollars add up . For example , the average annual per capita spending on lottery tickets in Massachusetts is nearly $ 800 . That is $ 800 being spent for every man , woman and child in the state . That is more than six times the average per capita food stamp benefit . Some of this $ 800 goes to schools , constituting about 1-2 % of school budgets in many states . The majority of this $ 800 , however , goes to a very small number of lucky winners who take home what seems like infinite wealth that is sure to change their life forever . Or not so much . Related : No lotteries in these 7 states . Approximately one third of lottery winners will declare bankruptcy . This happens primarily because new winners are so unfamiliar with the magnitude of the money they have won , that they simply overestimate the purchasing power . How could I ever need to budget when I have several hundred million in the bank ? The overwhelming majority of lottery winners do n't believe they are better off for having won . One study finds that recent lottery winners have lower levels of happiness than do those who have recently become quadriplegic . Apparently , winning the lottery is not what the hype would have you believe . Personally , I would probably prefer an $ 800 tax . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David R. Just .
At least two people will share the $ 648 million jackpot from Tuesday 's Mega Millions lottery . Most who play know they have little chance of winning anything . But if you're one of those lucky few, and your ticket is a winner...