I occasionally buy lottery tickets just for fun. It's enjoyable for me to fantasize about what I would do if I suddenly never had to worry about money again. I think about quitting my job, going back to school and learning about something I care more about (I didn't care for my major) and doing some travelling. I only buy one ticket every month or so. This $1-$2 actually gives me mental enjoyment, more so than a candy bar at least.

However, last time I bought one the woman next to me bought $80 worth of mega millions tickets. To be blunt at the cost of sounding unkind, she looked like she was a lower class individual. I truly felt bad for her (for reasons I won't elaborate on for conciseness) and I thought about all the people spending a decent sum of cash on something that is analogous to flushing money down the toilet.

I think the lottery does much more harm than good to society as a whole and should be done away with. The people who get into spending loads of money on these tickets are ones who are - generally speaking - uneducated and in a position where they don't have much going for them. Instead of being proactive and trying to improve their lives (easier said than done though, i know), they get caught up in this dream that destiny will save them from a life of difficulty. Obviously those susceptible to addiction are most affected and taken advantage of here, as mentioned by some other comments. It's not really a "tax on the stupid" because these people are more of a cost to society by wasting money and putting themselves in harder positions.

Not to mention the people who DO win the lottery don't often find themselves living the peachy life they would expect.