Nowadays there are many ways for people to win money – and lots of it. But is love for the lottery a healthy feeling or a step towards gambling?

First, there is optimism and then there is delusion. Remember Lloyd Christmas, for instance, played by Jim Carrey in classic Dumb & Dumber?

When the object of his affections tells him there is only a one in a million chance of her going out with him, he takes the news pretty well. State lottery

‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance? YEEAAAH!’

You may laugh, but this character is not alone in blind faith. In fact, his odds of success are a lot better, sometimes, than those that millions of people choose to go up against every week when they play the lottery in our country.

And even when, the numbers are not in our favor, we keep playing and we do it because there are some who win. Even the longest of odds can be toppled. Lotteries

We see it every week, in every newspaper, website and news channel, people do win at the lottery, and sometimes they win BIG.

Professor Mark Griffiths, director of the international gaming research unit at Nottingham Trent University, said: ‘I think it’s totally rational to think that for $2 you can win a life-changing amount of money.

‘The psychology of lottery gambling is very simple. They’re low-stake, high-prize games.

‘What we are talking about are life-changing amounts of money. The maximum jackpot you can win is the major motivating factor for people to play the lottery.

‘Some people may rationalize it afterwards and say the money is going to good causes but, if the money was going to good causes and they had a small jackpot prize, people wouldn’t play.’

Prof Griffiths believes lotteries are a form of gambling, but because some time goes by between draws, that means that the game is unlikely to cause problems among players. Lottery is not a game you control, as the draws are already set to occur on specific times and dates.

But in the US and Canada, there is a lottery game called Keno that involves players picking six numbers for a draw that takes place every three minutes. ‘It’s an automated draw and people can and do become addicted,’ he said.

The psychology of the near miss keeps people returning to lotteries and other games, according to Prof Griffiths. ‘From a gambler’s perspective they don’t constantly lose. From a gambler’s perspective they constantly nearly win.

‘Physiologically, what happens to our bodies when we win is just a massive rush of adrenalin – but we also experience it when we nearly win, or at least when we perceive it to be a near win.’

He believes lotteries are a good way to bring people together and said there would be a ‘public outcry’ if they were taken away.
And yet, despite the big wins, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars go unclaimed.

So, if you like to play the lottery, remember to spend your money wisely and enjoy it!