It might be a little off-putting to see a well-off TV star lecturing us all about the fallacy of the only thing that might one day grant us our own shot at fiscal nirvana, but Last Week Tonight‘s John Oliver is right when he essentially declares lotteries to be a fool’s gambit. The problem is, though, we’re all aware of the wisp-thin odds of victory, many of us still burn our dollars on lotto tickets, so what are the chances that people are going to listen Oliver tell them about those odds, the horrific fate that befalls some lotto winners (and losers), and the absence of a real positive impact on public education despite claims to the contrary and a presiding belief that lotto money is going to a good cause?
About the same as my chances of winning the Mega Millions next time I play it. And by the way, it’s totally not hypocritical that I both agree with what Oliver is saying and I occasionally play the lottery, because I only play the big games. Daddy only gets out of bed for $300 mil.
Source: YouTube
