Illinoisans apparently haven't lost an appetite for lottery tickets, even though some say they are pinching pennies elsewhere in their personal budgets.
Sales figures for the Illinois Lottery were up nearly 3 percent — to about $2.08 billion in the fiscal year that ended in June.
In the year before, the lottery hit $2 billion in sales for the first time. Both increases come with a steady increase in the popularity of the lottery's instant games.
Illinois Lottery Superintendent Jodie Winnett said Friday that the state is planning to start a study on trends of lottery play during tough economic times. She said she now has only theories about why sales remain up.
One theory, Winnett said, is that people might need some financial hope in lottery tickets, and the chance to win a lot of money doesn't cost very much. The odds of winning, though, often can be exceptionally long.
"It's just a dollar," Winnett said.
Also Friday came news of a study showing that people who view themselves as low-income are more likely to buy lottery tickets.
Published in the July issue of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, the study suggests people who feel they're poor are more likely to take risks.
Emily Haines, an author of the study, said that behavior could explain why lottery sales stay steady, or even rise, when the economy falls.
"Maybe it's because they're trying to make up for what they've lost," said Haines, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University.
Winnett says the state lottery uses focus groups to help drive interest in instant games, a process that could explain the jump in sales on the scratch-off tickets from about $780 million in the 2004 fiscal year, to $1.1 billion last year.
One theory, Winnett said, is that people might need some financial hopein lottery tickets, and the chance to win a lot of money doesn't costvery much... and "Maybe it's because they're trying to make up for what they've lost...
I actually think that is a good theory. Maybe people are playing more in the hopes that they can win money and get out of the hard times we are going through.
However, I know I have cut back on playing. I have a certain amount that I can play at the moment and I really try not to go over that.
The lottery is fun and inexpensive, certainly cheaper than visiting a casino. I have a set amount that I play every week and rarely increase it. When you go into a casino you never know how much you might be tempted to put into the slots.
yeah well its not like saving and investing is going ot get anyone anywhere. whats the yeild on a bank account now, like 3% . no wonder people buy more lotto in tough times, they dont see any other way out.
I cut down to minimum while I develop better algorithms. My systems don't do as well in Summer as in Winter anyway. But I play at least one just to be in the drawing so it's something to look forward to at 12:55 or 7:55 or 10:55. The cutting down on that and other things has been enough to cover the extra cost of gas.
I think also people are bored because they had to cut travel and other plans that were costing money, so they do this as an alternative.
The only thing I wish they (the Lotteries) would permit players from other States to play online so they'd not have to travel to play Powerball or Mega and then we could "shop around" to avoid computerized drawings or to play where we felt we have better return.
People are going to find the money to do what they enjoy. The lottery is fun to me, that why i play it. It would not be fun if I had to win to pay bills, or put food on the table. You should not play the lottery if the money is needed in other important areas. That's not fun. That's stresss. Don't play the lottery if you can't afford it. That makes no sense, because......... most of the time you gonna loose.
One theory, Winnett said, is that people might need some financial hopein lottery tickets, and the chance to win a lot of money doesn't costvery much... and "Maybe it's because they're trying to make up for what they've lost...
I actually think that is a good theory. Maybe people are playing more in the hopes that they can win money and get out of the hard times we are going through.
However, I know I have cut back on playing. I have a certain amount that I can play at the moment and I really try not to go over that.
The lottery is fun and inexpensive, certainly cheaper than visiting a casino. I have a set amount that I play every week and rarely increase it. When you go into a casino you never know how much you might be tempted to put into the slots.
People are doing the same thing states are; using gambling (and 'investing') to make up for the shortfall in industrial manufacturing employment.
"Service Economy", indeed.
No crap, I spend more money now than before just so hopefully I can win enough for gas.
yeah well its not like saving and investing is going ot get anyone anywhere. whats the yeild on a bank account now, like 3% . no wonder people buy more lotto in tough times, they dont see any other way out.
I cut down to minimum while I develop better algorithms. My systems don't do as well in Summer as in Winter anyway. But I play at least one just to be in the drawing so it's something to look forward to at 12:55 or 7:55 or 10:55. The cutting down on that and other things has been enough to cover the extra cost of gas.
I think also people are bored because they had to cut travel and other plans that were costing money, so they do this as an alternative.
The only thing I wish they (the Lotteries) would permit players from other States to play online so they'd not have to travel to play Powerball or Mega and then we could "shop around" to avoid computerized drawings or to play where we felt we have better return.
The last thing any state wants is for its citizens to have the chance to get a better deal somewhere else.
People are going to find the money to do what they enjoy. The lottery is fun to me, that why i play it. It would not be fun if I had to win to pay bills, or put food on the table. You should not play the lottery if the money is needed in other important areas. That's not fun. That's stresss. Don't play the lottery if you can't afford it. That makes no sense, because......... most of the time you gonna loose.
Personally, I've given up lunch for lotto.