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Comment by stingraycharles | Hacker News Reader

Eh, I know more than a few people who, over decades, spent small fortunes on these lotteries. $10/month over multiple decades really adds up, especially when you’re already poor.

I’m not saying I agree with the “it’s a tax” position, but I definitely don’t agree with the “it’s just fun” position. It’s an industry that preys on poor people’s poor (monetary) decision making skills.

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I worked at a liquor store and saw people spend easily $10/day, and very often it was the same people every day.

I wonder how much lottery is like other (gambling and non-gambling) industries where so much of the revenue is from "whales."

Tangentially related: My younger brother works the counter at a gas station and the amount of money people drop on cigarettes and vape pods is mind boggling. He tells me $300 a month is not uncommon. A car payment.

Be careful which habits you form.

> $10/month over multiple decades really adds up, especially when you’re already poor.

>[...] but I definitely don’t agree with the “it’s just fun” position

How do you feel about people going to vegas to gamble? Does that also not count as "it's just fun" because they're losing a significant sum of money?

Does it prey? I think scratchers / casinos / sports betting / online poker / more general kinds of gambling is far more addictive and malicious, because the dopamine fueled reward->attempt cycle is a far tighter loop with those.

The counter argument is that a lot of those games reward “skill”. Through study/statistics your odds improve, in the same way that equity research can lead to a good stock pick. The lottery is naked chance.

Would you say the same about a $14/month Netflix subscription?

Because that actually has zero upside potential and does not fund local nonprofit activities (like lottery often does, depending on your location).

Netflix is capped at $14/month. One may "lose" time or attention or gain many different emotional experiences they didn't want, yet I think their monetary spending is quite capped with Netflix compared to the lottery and other pay more to get more games.

Netflix cost is capped. People spend hundreds/month on lotteries.

True they don’t, that’s what the lottery does.

Netflix and the lottery sell different things at a similar price point. I’ve subscribed to both at various times.

Edit: it seems the comment I replied to was changed. It used to say approximately “Netflix doesn’t sell a dream to get rich”

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