But psychologists warn that the more you play the lottery and the longer you go without winning, the more likely you are to get despondent and irritable. In serious cases, people eventually start thinking that they have to recover the money they've already lost. Psychologists speak of "compulsive gambling" when this goes on for more than six months. Compulsive gamblers often display anger, tell lies, and steal.
不過，精神科醫師提醒，簽注越多，期待越高，若沒有中獎，難保不會出現憂鬱、躁鬱的情形，嚴重者會有想翻本的念頭，這種情形持續六個月以上，就是「病態性」賭博，會出現易怒、說謊、偷竊等行為。