The Unexpected Winner: Why Lotteries Offer Hope and Hope of Change
When the lottery was first introduced in the 17th century, it had a very different purpose from what it’s seen as today. Drawing on concepts of fate and chance, it was seen as an opportunity for the wealthy to “gamble” with their money, and, if lucky, win back a substantial amount. Rapidly, though, lottery tickets became available to the working class, offering them the chance to “win it big”, and with it, a life changing moment, when the extraordinary became possible.
Today, lotteries offer hope to many who wouldn’t otherwise have it; and provide a chance to reinvent themselves and their lives. On a daily basis, people play the lottery, some hoping to just a little extra money on the side, others dreaming of a life-altering, million dollar dream.
Interestingly, the protagonists in this story of risk-taking often don’t come from the background we might imagine. University graduates also pick up tickets, but so do those who didn’t -or couldn’t- make it through education. Some are looking forward to changing their own lives, and others are looking for ways to improve the lives of those around them.
These fairy-tale prospects, although tantalizing, only account for a tiny part of the industry. Instead, the main driving force behind lottery sales is the need for a change. It’s the “craving” the everyman has to escape their current situation; whether it be unemployment, financial constraints, or a stagnant career. Where other opportunities, or even ways out, don’t exist, lotteries offer something of a remedy; an inconceivable possibility, although unlikely, to suddenly turn ones life around agentoto 88.
A study by Georgetown University last year, in fact, revealed that lottery tickets are consistently bought in areas of “low economic performance”, essentially showing, that where poverty remains a major issue, hope in the form of a ticket, is still embraced as a potential solution.
What’s clear, is that the lottery offers an out for those stuck in a circumstance of despair. It gives them something to worry a little less about; and a ticket offers an escape from unhappiness and anxiety.
Still, though, not everyone buys for the optimistic goals. Some have no expectations at all, or don’t envision definite outcomes. A few commentators have referred to this phenomenon as a type of “blind hope”, considering it as an addiction, as no change in life is needed, just the comfort that it might come.
Although lottery tickets do provide an opportunity for creating change inones life, it’s important to remember that it shouldn’t be the only focus, or only form of “hope”. In order to succeed, a vision should first be created, and a strategy put in place, if real progress is to be made.