Who Plays Lotteries?
Who buys lottery tickets? A recent Gallup Poll on Gambling in America found that: -57% of American adults reported buying lottery tickets in the past 12 months. -Those with incomes of $45,000 to $75,000 were the most likely to play (65 percent had played in the past year) -Those with incomes under $25,000 were the least likely to play at 53 percent. -People with incomes in excess of $75,000 spend roughly three times as much on lotteries each month as those with incomes under $25,000. Don’t most lottery sales come from a relatively small number of people? As with any product or service, some people are more enthusiastic consumers than others. Business schools teach marketing students the “pareto principle:” the idea that no matter what the product, 80 percent of the sales will come from 20 percent of the customers. Lotteries are no different. Are those who play the lottery most often poor and undereducated? No. Numerous studies conducted in a wide range of jurisdictions show that freque
