The concept of lotteries conjures up many different images at once, and most of it unpleasant. By association, state lotteries often are compared with seedy criminals, gambling addiction, and destitution for the poor who depend on it the most. Despite, the negative imagery surrounding state lotteries it has been a widely popular and extremely profitable option for many states to raise funds for purportedly "worthwhile causes." In North Carolina for instance, the state lottery generates in the neighborhood of one billion dollars a year, a figure that figures to increase the overall state budget by thirty to forty percent. When assessing the costs and benefits of state lotteries, one has to first paint an accurate picture of what exactly state lotteries do and clearly define the parameters around it. There is much fiction surrounding the concept of state lotteries precisely because of the stigma attached to the concept of state-sponsored gambling. In the below review of the success of gambling initiatives throughout the United States, we will begin with a brief introduction surrounding state-owned lotteries followed by a literary critique. The purpose is to find contextual evidence that looks into both the benefits and harms of state-sponsored lotteries.
             The concept of state-sponsored lotteries is not new since 1963 with the start of the New Hampshire lottery, 37 states and the District of Columbia has begun their own lotteries. These lotteries total a combined profit of anywhere between eleven to twelve billion dollars per annum. These lotteries can take the form of scratching tickets, lotto numbers, power balls, etc. Each different lottery system entails new methods for which the government can profit from its citizens. Many states are not meeting anywhere between five to twenty percent of their budget through their lottery system profits. There are many misconceptions surrounding the lottery system, however. The institution of a ...