November 27, 2018
Lotteries: The invisible hand that built colonial America Lotteries and the lottery systems are actually more American than most people realize. In the 1700-1800s, lotteries were instrumental for government operations to facilitate the settlement of North America. In fact, Jamestown, America’s first British colony, relied on capital from rich investors, the 17th century equivalent of…
November 8, 2018
Each year, Americans spend more on lottery tickets than sports teams, books, movies, video games and music combined. Logically, we know that our chances of winning are microscopic (precisely 1 in 292 million), yet we roll the dice anyways. Human nature tells us that we’ve got a real shot at winning the lottery, but we…
September 19, 2018
Driving through certain neighborhoods in Chicago, it’s impossible to ignore the billboards emblazoned with the slogan, “This could be your ticket out”, which were erected by the Illinois State Lottery. From the getgo, the intended audience was clearly low income earners, because these billboards are not placed in Forest Hills, a wealthy suburb in Chicago….
August 6, 2018
In a calendar year, Americans spend more money – to the tune of $70 billion dollars – on lottery tickets than music, movies, books, video games and sports teams combined. It’s common knowledge that the lottery preys primarily on everyday people – normally residing in marginalized communities: racial minorities, low wage earners, those living in…
