Should I Play The Lottery

A lot has been written recently about the lottery. There’s a direct correlation between articles written about the lottery and the size of the payouts and with recent ticket price increases, Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are more often growing to levels that would make even Jay-Z blush. The news hits, the billboards go up and suddenly, there are lines outside of every gas station and convenience store in the country.

I’m not here to bash the lottery. I can even admit, as personal finance expert and blogger Jean Chatzky did in a recent newsletter that when one of the major lotteries reach these fevered pitches, I’ve been known to buy a ticket. But doing a little more digging into our country’s lottery habit has me a little stunned.

For example, a WebMath study reported than one-third of Americans believe the lottery is the only way to become financially stable. One-third. One hundred or so million people who believe that lottery ticket is their only path to financial success.

We know the lottery is a game. We know it is a long shot. In fact, we probably aren’t capable of grasping just how truly big of a long shot it is. Tara Siegel Bernard of the New York Times did a great job in an article earlier this month trying to define the exact odds. Needless to say, they’re staggering.

There’s even a new website, ShouldIPlaytheLottery.com, that will help calculate whether or not the actual payouts and odds of a given lottery are worth the cost.

The point to all this is, the lottery is often most appealing to those who can afford it the least. The pull of potentially solving all of life’s problems with just 5 or 6 lucky numbers overwhelms the facts, which are simple. We’re not going to win.

I hate to be the wet blanket, but as a financial planner, I’m used to the role. If you play the lottery once in a blue moon or as a social activity in a group when the jackpots really get big and know it’s harmless fun, similar to an occasional latte at Starbucks, proceed. We all spend our entertainment money in our own, unique ways. If that few minutes of fun are worth a dollar or two to you, there are worse things you could be doing.

But, if your lottery behavior is much more frequent; if you’re playing both major lotteries, the scratch offs, the nightly state games, etc. in the hopes of winning big. Stop. Take that money and save it. I know you’ve heard this before, but let this be the time you listen.

Save that money. Look at the rest of your spending and where you can cut back there as well. Pick something that you’ve had your heart set on, something that you’d buy without a care with those lotto winnings. Slowly, but surely, watch your money grow. Reward yourself and buy that item, then pick the next savings target. Consider it your own little jackpot. It’s not winning the lottery, but the entertainment value will last much longer and you’ll be well on your way to being a true winner in the long run.