You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning the lottery!
There may be some truth in this myth for a very small percentage of lotteries that have unbelievably bad odds. However, for most lotteries it is just untrue. For instance in a 1997 article in Public Gaming International magazine Iowa Lottery Commissioner Dr. Ed Stanek (his doctorate is in physics) debunked this belief successfully.
In the USA in 1996 ninety-one unfortunate people were struck by lightning and died as a result. Whereas there were one thousand, three hundred and thirty-six people who won $1,000,000 or more from lotteries and four thousand, five hundred and twenty people who won either $100,000 or more.
This does not even take into account all the smaller prizes below $100,000 but larger than $10,000!
2. Lotteries are a way of taxing people.
Taxes are levied by governments to pay for the running of the country and to cover national debt. Lotteries on the contrary are voluntary and they are usually owned by private companies who make a profit from them.
3. Lotteries target poor people who can’t afford to play.
No company targets their product to people who can’t afford to buy it!
People from all walks of life and with differing financial statuses play and win the lottery.
4. Only winners benefit from the lottery.
Although this is one of the most popular myths about lottos it is by far the easiest to bust.
Most lotteries make donations to charities on a regular basis. In the UK the National Lottery also sponsors many ventures and new business start-ups.
The people who sell you your lottery ticket also get a piece of the pie through commission payments. Employment is a by-product of lotteries from jobs for the lottery company to jobs in shops and in supporting companies. The filter effect in employment due to the lottery goes well beyond the lottery company.
At the end of the day the lotto is also a game and games bring enjoyment. Is it worth a buck or two to enjoy the experience?
5. The lottery promotes compulsive gambling and is responsible for creating more gamblers.
People who gamble a lot are usually people who have addictive personalities. It has been demonstrated that gambling addiction, like many (if not all) other addictions, is based on many different factors that are usually rooted in psychological and biological factors.
It has been shown in many studies on the lottery and gambling addictions that the lottery has very little effect on gambling behaviours. A compulsive gamblers will most likely seek something more thrilling than a mere lottery bet and is more often than not attracted to more risky enterprises.