Quote Originally Posted by rory_20_uk View Post
The lottery is a convenient tax on the stupid. The money can then be given to more worthy causes. The winners have a habit of splashing large amounts of it, thus again spreading the money around the economy.

The amount spent is better expressed as a percentage of disposable income.

Yeah, basically. People can waste whatever they want on it, but they're literally throwing their money away. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning any of the big state lotteries.