Myths and facts about the lottery addiction
The lottery addiction: is this dangerous?
Gambling is not an invention of modern societies, and people have made bets since the ancient times, regardless of what was the society’s position towards wagering. The lotteries are on the other hand a creation of modern times, and since the outcome of the draws is based exclusively on luck, many people associate it with gambling. The question is how real is the danger of addiction and which are the similarities and differences between lottery addiction and the one caused by other types of gambling.
True facts about the lottery addiction
Playing the lottery begins in an overwhelming majority of cases as a harmless way of keeping the dream alive, because for many people winning the jackpot is the only way of changing their life completely with minimal effort. Buying tickets week after week becomes a routine and players enter autopilot, but we can only talk about addiction when losing actually causes distress. The main reason for why people turn into compulsive lottery players is that they settle for a set of numbers and use them over and over again.
It is not necessarily addiction but fear that drives them to buy tickets every week, because they simply can’t afford to risk having their numbers drawn when they didn’t play. Another factor that is responsible for turning lottery games in addictive ones is the conviction that mathematical systems can help players beat the odds. Despite the fact that luck is the only element that matters, many players assume that with enough research and using the right strategy they can beat the odds. For a select few, this becomes a time consuming activity, strips lottery games of any fun and turns them into a stressful chore.
Myths about lottery addiction
Those who jump to conclusions and try to paint a grim picture are frequently saying that lottery players are suffering from the same type of addiction as casino junkies. It is only a myth that people feel sad after not winning a lottery draw or that they are compelled by their addiction to buy more tickets immediately after the draw. Given the fact that the vast majority of players is buying tickets in land-based stores, and the draws take place twice per week, they have no choice but to wait patiently for the next draw.
This means that the odds of acting based on impulse and emotion are decreased, something that doesn’t happen in the case of casino junkies. Another false assumption about lottery games is that they are capable of causing a financial meltdown because players invest money that they can’t afford to lose. Since the price of a ticket is of €/$1 or slightly higher, the losses are not significant unless a player buys hundreds or thousands of tickets. While this is in theory possible, it is the exception to the rule and can’t seriously be regarded as a reason to fear lottery addiction.
