The lottery is a game of chance in which participants purchase tickets for a prize, such as cash or goods. The winning ticket is selected by drawing lots. The lottery is a form of gambling, and its popularity has risen in recent decades as it becomes more accessible and affordable. However, the Bible warns against playing the lottery as it is a temptation to covet money and the things that money can buy. Moreover, the odds of winning the lottery are extremely low and are often used as an excuse to avoid working or saving for the future. Instead, God wants us to earn our money honestly through hard work and invest it wisely to create wealth (Proverbs 23:5; Proverbs 8:15).
Although lottery proceeds help state coffers, the money must come from somewhere—and studies have shown that it comes disproportionately from poor people and minorities. In fact, as Vox reports, the average American who plays the lottery buys one ticket a year, and 70 to 80 percent of the money for state-sponsored lotteries comes from this small group of regular players.
Despite this regressivity, the lottery enjoys broad public support. Many state governments promote the lottery as a way of raising money for a specific public good, such as education. This argument is especially effective when state budgets are tight. Lottery advocates argue that voters prefer to spend money on a lottery rather than see tax increases or cuts in other areas.
State-sponsored lotteries raise billions of dollars annually. In addition to paying out prizes, the money helps fund public services and benefits other citizens. However, there are a number of concerns about state-sponsored lotteries, including that they are regressive and may lead to gambling addiction.
The earliest records of lotteries appear in the 15th century, when towns held public lotteries to raise funds for town fortifications and to help the poor. The lottery was also a popular method for allocating positions and titles in the military and government. In America, Benjamin Franklin sponsored a lottery to raise funds for cannons to defend Philadelphia during the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson attempted to hold a private lottery to pay off his debts, but it was unsuccessful.
Today, 44 states and the District of Columbia run lotteries. The six states that don’t—Alabama, Utah, Mississippi, Hawaii, Nevada, and Alaska—do so for a variety of reasons. Those include religious objections, the belief that lottery revenues would compete with local gaming establishments, and fiscal concerns.
Regardless of the reason, state-sponsored lotteries are not in the best interest of taxpayers. They are inefficient and regressive, and they promote the dangerous belief that luck can solve life’s problems. Moreover, they are a temptation to covet money and things that money can buy, which is against the Bible’s command to “not covet your neighbor’s house, his wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that is his” (Exodus 20:17; 1 Timothy 6:10). Ultimately, lotteries are an unsustainable source of revenue for state governments.
