Americans Spend Over $100 Billion On Lottery Tickets A Year, More Than Movies, Concerts, And Sports Combined

By Ann Brown

Seems America still has lottery jackpot dreams–and big time.

Data on American spending habits reveals a 20 percent increase in spending on lottery tickets compared to 2020, with sales surpassing $100 billion for consecutive years. In 2022 alone, state lottery ticket sales reached an unprecedented high of nearly $108 billion, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). That amount is more than the total spending on music, books, sports teams, movies, and video games combined. Over the past decade, Americans have demonstrated a growing willingness to invest in lottery tickets, with sales escalating from $68.8 billion in 2012 to $108 billion in 2021, marking a substantial 57 percent increase over a decade, Motley Fool reported.

In 2022, people worldwide spent a total of $348.3 billion on lottery tickets. Global data shows that $113 billion was spent on scratch tickets alone, Fast Company reported.

In the U.S., most scratch cards are manufactured by only three companies: Scientific Games, Pollard Banknote, and IGT. Among them, Scientific Games stands out as the sole U.S.-based company, while the other two are headquartered in Canada and Italy, respectively. Scientific Games is the world’s largest producer of instant scratch games, serving 130 lotteries across 50 countries, Fast Company reported.

Rising inflation and the allure of colossal jackpot prizes are notable contributors to this surge in ticket purchases. Despite economic uncertainties, some recent jackpots have reached staggering amounts, with the largest single-ticket prize from the Powerball lotto reaching $2.04 billion billion in 2022.

The odds of winning major lottery jackpots, such as the Powerball, are exceedingly slim, with a 1 in 292 million chance of success. To put this into perspective, the likelihood of getting struck by lightning is significantly higher than winning such lotteries. Moreover, investing money in lottery tickets diverts funds from more practical investment opportunities with better long-term prospects. For instance, allocating the same amount spent on lottery tickets towards an index fund tracking the S&P 500 could yield a substantial return over time. A hypothetical investment of $20 per month over 30 years could potentially grow to $27,400, outperforming the returns from lottery winnings, Motley Fool reported.

Photo:  New York Lottery, Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/newyorklottery/