A Definitive Look at Winning the Lotto – A Matter of Life or Death

A Definitive Look at Winning the Lotto – A Matter of Life or Death

Description

A dollar and a dream, that all it takes to be a winner at Lotto a game of chance where everyone wants to be a winner. With phrases like, “You Gotta be in to Win it” and “All it Takes Is a Dollar and a Dream” seem to echo in the hallways of chance catapulting one to dash off to the local convenience store and purchase a ticket when the pot increases. Time and time again we watch the local news and they repeated run those “lotto stories” thus turning up the volume of the opportunity to become a millionaire. What if your life or loss of life was the “give-away”? What would you choose, would you play, what would be the driving force behind your decision? The answer to these questions may not be so easy to make based on many factors or perhaps just one.

The lottery has been around since about 1965. In fact lotteries were illegal until 1964 according to the NGISC (National Gambling Impact Study Commission). Seems like those things that are for one reason or another deemed under the header as may not be good for human consumption are the things a certain population of folk will fight tooth and nail for. Alcohol, marijuana, gaming, and even abortion to name a few were labeled as illegal activities. Come with me as we take a walk down the avenue of winners.

Alcohol - The Prohibition Amendment was adopted in the 1920s allowing the making and selling of alcoholic beverages illegal. However the Eighteenth Amendment of U.S. Constitution established that only certain intoxicating liquors were prohibited, so for instance the medical field and some religious groups could participate in consumption as long as the intent was not to “intoxicate” oneself. The Volstead Act further went on to define “intoxicating” and briefly state the Act provided (3) three definitions: (1) to prohibit intoxicating beverages, (2) to regulate the manufacture, sale, or transport of intoxicating liquor (but not consumption), and (3) to ensure an ample supply of alcohol and promote its use in scientific research and in the development of fuel, dye and other lawful industries and practices, such as religious rituals.

Cannabis – In the 1600’s colonists were ordered to grow hemp for export and even George Washington grew his own batch of Marijuana. As in the “natural” course of things, pun intended, someone somewhere figured out that smoking it much like the consumption of alcohol provided a sense of wellbeing. There you have it in 2012 the smoking of marijuana purely for enjoyment was legalized in the state of Washington.

Abortion – A topic with grave proportions hit the circuit in Roe v. Wade. In 1973 the court ruled 7 – 2 that women had the right to abort a pregnancy, governed by the length of gestation, if she so desired. One little case that is rarely mention is the case of Doe v. Bolton where the state of Georgia would only allow abortions under the following conditions: (1) injury to the mother; (2) in rape cases; and (3) presumed deformity of the fetus. This topic continues to be a struggle in present day 2012 in deciding when life begins under the extreme headers of Life vs. Murder.

Gaming – Last but not least the highs and lows of “trooping” with the “Big Dawgs” a more commonly known phrase used by some young folk in urban neighborhoods. In this area the art of winning is defined as luck, chance, opportunity, a “feeling”. In watching folk play the machines at the local casino I have witnessed people wiping the screen, or calculating the number “win” based on the amount of money used on each pull of the handle. I ask the question then what is luck and what is the driving force to achieve luck and can it be achieved?

According to Merriam-Webster, luck is defined as a force that brings good fortune or adversity. Adversity! What is this! I proclaimed. When I think of luck it has always been associated with the good fortune, and then I remembered - ahhh yes as the phase known in the song written by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes titled, “Bad Luck” the singer talks about what “bad luck” may feel like and they lyrics state, “…played the number cause that numbers hot, but the bookies get you for every cent you’ve got, walk around in a daze with the richer pockets bare…”. Very descriptive of someone who has made a decision based on a series of life stressors, i.e. a broken heart the possibility of foreclosure on a home or even watching your car roll backwards as the bank has demanded the return of the vehicle due to non-payment. These and other scenarios can be the catalyst for playing the lotto in hopes that the “luck” will change. Not to mention the players that have won and won exceptionally large amounts of cash in lottery drawings.

For example in Pennsylvania there was a winner of $250,000 in their Mega Millions ® Jackpot sales. The mere thought of receiving a quarter of million dollars for purchasing a PA Lottery Daily Number ticket coupled with paying off ones debt could surely be enough incentive to think that one’s “bad luck” will be changed in an instant. In CT and PA there are two chances to win on the same day. For example in Pennsylvania there is the opportunity to win the PA Lottery Daily Number in both the afternoon and again in the evening. I suspect that with even a small increase in the changes of winning from once a day to twice a produce an increase for a state in lottery sales. However the state of CT in 2012 the President and CEO of the CT Lottery indicated that not only did they celebrate multiple years of success but that they raised $7.2 billion dollars for programs such as education and public health.

Is it possible that the forces that drive one to play lotto can have severe consequences? Absolutely, if this is indeed a game of chance then all attributes of chance become optional. There was a moment in time where if you were “chosen” the prize would be the life of your child. That’s right, in the book of Exodus in the Bible the writer tells of a story where God released a plague that would kill the first born of Egypt from the Pharaoh’s son to the first born of the cattle. It would appear that “luck” was on the side of the Israelites. So again I ask what is it to have “luck” and what is the driving force? In my summation “luck” would be a combination of everything about a person’s “being” from the beginning of their time and to include that moment in time when he/she makes a decision…

Good luck in all your endeavors

Wendy Williamson-Bonner, MSM, MBA, Doctoral Candidate