Do you think there should be an income limit to playing the lottery?

Question

My freind plays all the time but has never won and he thinks that people who earn over a certain amount shouldn't be allowed to play the lottery. That way, the people who win would be those who truly need the money. First time I've heard that idea. Do you think that would be a good lottery policy? Why or why not?

Answer 1

I think the income limit is automatic; I don't see a reason to actually impose a limit.

People who have a lot of money don't tend to play the lottery, and most people who play the lottery never end up with a lot of money.

Also, since lottery money is basically donated money, and the number of tickets you would have to buy to have a greater than fifty percent chance of winning far exceeds the prize money, if anything we should encourage rich people to use lotteries to give back to the community. If a million millionaires bought a thousand lottery tickets, and one of them won a hundred million dollars, that means the state lottery comission just got 900 million dollars, which gets turned around and donated to public programs, and gives everyone tax breaks.

There's a reason why they call it the "stupidity tax". Roulette is called a sucker's game, because the 35:1 payout on a single number versus the 200:1 odds of the ball actually landing on that number, means that anyone, no matter how deep their wallet, would tend to lose a substantial amount of money that would make even one-dollar-starting Martingale strategies impossible for most millionaires.

That was for perspective. The payout-to-win ratio is thousands of times worse for most state lotteries, and the more money you spend, the more money you lose.

If we have to make a "you can't play" rule, maybe we should put a minimum amount to play into effect, rather than a maximum. That way, we're not screwing poor people, and the lottery commission is still getting a lot of money.

Answer 2

of course not... It would be un fair would you like it if rich people said you cant come in here or play this cause your poor.?

Answer 3

so ironic that most people who hit these lotto's are already millionares