It feels innocuous at first, doesn’t it? Each state (with exception of Utah and Hawaii) gives its residents a weekly opportunity to become multimillionaires with the simple purchase of a ticket at their local grocer or bodega. The fact that proceeds (beyond the prize pool) go towards supporting education and other social welfare programs makes it seem as if it’s a civic duty. It may help explain why American households spent more than $113 billion on lottery tickets in the most recently reported annum, which is 151% more than they spent on multivitamins ($45 billion).
For most, playing the lottery is a relatively harmless endeavor, but for a large number of vulnerable Americans it is problematic. As someone who has come online and entered “lottery ticket addiction” into their laptop or smartphone search bar, it can be infered that you land in the latter category. You recognize that your purchase of lottery tickets has grown from one or two per week to a stack. You may have also noticed the sighs of people behind you in line at the convenience store as you make your habitual purchases. These are just two of the signs of problematic lottery play listed here:
- You frequently think about the lottery.
- You need to spend increasing amounts of money on lottery tickets not just to increase your chances of winning (more on this rationale below) but to attain the same rush of excitement that you once felt with fewer ticket purchases.
- You have attempted to control, cut down, or stop buying lottery tickets without success.
- You get irritable, restless, or anxious when you have missed (or nearly miss) a lottery ticket draw.
- You play the lottery as a means to cope with and escape negative feelings.
- You lie to family (or friends) about buying lottery tickets.
- Your purchase of lottery tickets is related to your past or current debt.
- You frequently ask for money and/or have resorted to theft to support the purchase of lottery tickets.
Does any of the above confirm the suspicion that you have a problematic relationship with the lottery? You can reach out for help to quit by calling 1-877-426-4258 or read ahead first for more information.
Overview of the Dangers of Playing the Lottery for Vulnerable Americans
Obligated to Play to Your Regular Numbers
Do you play the same numbers for one of your lottery ticket purchases each cycle? This could be partly responsible for the formation of a habit of buying lottery tickets. Once the pattern of using the same numbers has been established, an irrational fear develops in that these numbers will “hit” on the one cycle that you missed or stopped buying a ticket. The dread over this potential can be overwhelming and may be what thwarts your attempt to abstain. State lottery marketing campaigns leverage this way of thinking with playful advertisements that showcase they varying ways people come up with their regular lottery ticket picks, be it the use of meaningful dates (birthdays, etc.), old high school locker combinations, and more.
Lottery FOMO
The fear of missing out (FOMO) is somewhat evident in casino gaming and sports betting, but may be most prevalent in playing the lottery and make it extremely hard to quit. Lottery FOMO exists for those who participate in workplace or friend-group lottery pools where all-involved chip-in to purchase tickets with an agreement to split the winnings. Not only is there peer pressure to participate, there is the underlying fear of abstaining. This fear is rooted in the concern over the potential (no matter how massively unlikely) that the group will actually win. If they do, it leaves a non-participator stuck as the sole loser while everyone else quits their job and moves off to the Maldives to live their remaining days in a hammock with a tropical cocktail in perpetual tow. This irrational fear leads us to the phenomenon of cognitive distortions related to problematic lottery participation. Please keep reading.
Cognitive Distortions of Lottery
Cognitive distortions are irrational beliefs, thoughts, and perspectives that people can have that are typically reinforced over time and are often related to habitual participation in an activity that is associated with harms for vulnerable persons. Common cognitive distortions connected to those who self-report as having lottery ticket addiction include the following:
- Gambler’s fallacy: When habitual lotto players believe that a win is inevitable after a string of losses, or that they will keep winning after a string of smaller lottery ticket payouts.
- Remembering the wins more than the losses: When a regular lotto player places more mental and emotional weight on recalling their wins over the more frequent losses.
- Illusion of control: When a lotto player believes that they can influence the outcome of a lottery draw through specific actions, rituals, or strategies, despite the random nature of the game.
- Lucky numbers: When a lotto player thinks that they can predict future lottery outcomes because certain numbers are perceived to be “lucky” or they have a good feeling about said numbers.
- Dismissing or downplaying positive achievements with lottery: Lotto players may ignore the fact that they have won small amounts (and be satisfied accordingly) and focus only on the potential for a large win.
Gateway to Other Forms of Gambling?
The over $113 billion in U.S. lottery tickets sales referenced in this article denotes a consistent year over year increase. For instance, the estimated $113 billion total is up from under $74 billion in 2015. This growth cooccurs with the 2018 removal of the federal ban on sports betting along with the proliferation of online gaming (casino and sports betting) from the last decade. Is lottery a gateway to other forms of gambling? Or more apt to today’s discussion, are those who self-report as having lottery ticket addiction more vulnerable to problem gambling?
Research shows that habitual lottery players share many of the same characteristics as those who struggle to control traditional gambling (casino gaming and sports betting). This knowledge is of particular concern to segments of the American population who are known to be more vulnerable to developing problematic gambling behavior. If you identify with any of the following categories your concern about lottery ticket addiction may certainly be justified (click or tap each to learn more):
- Member of the active military / veteran population
- People engaged in elite athletics
- People with ADHD
- People with Anxiety Disorder
- People with Bipolar Disorder
- People with Depression
- People with OCD
- People with PTSD
Is Lottery Ticket Addiction Worse than Problem Casino Gaming or Sports Betting?
For some, perhaps. An interesting study from the University of Colorado Boulder found that people who regularly play the lottery are more likely to exhibit problematic gambling behaviors when compared against those who participate in gambling activities with some knowledge and skill involved (i.e. daily fantasy sports or day trading). Meanwhile, a study of youth and young adults who play the lottery also shows incidents of more concerning behavior.
“Furthermore, probable pathological gamblers reported chasing their losses after having played the lottery more than the other gambling groups. This research demonstrates that youths with gambling problems gamble primarily with lottery products and exhibit similar pathological gambling behaviour (e.g., chasing) as those individuals addicted to other forms of gambling venues.” (Research Gate)
Of equal concern, is the perception about lottery being less harmful than other forms of gambling. Research reported by Science Direct finds that lottery products are often viewed as less harmful than other gambling products. Considering this, participants may be less likely to self-monitor for problematic participation and not “catch” concerning signs and symptoms until the issue has escalated into more moderate or severe territory.
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