A lottery ticket doesn&#x27;t buy a chance, it buys a pleasant daydream. It buys a mental escape hatch. It buys the &#x27;what would I do&#x27; game for another week.<p>A movie costs $12 in a theater for 2 hrs of enjoyment. A lottery ticket costs $1 for a week of intermittent enjoyment. For certain segments of the population, a lottery ticket is a downright bargain.<p>Math problems are easy. Real world problems are difficult.<p>As an aside, it&#x27;s so important that people who care enough about a social challenge like the lottery&#x2F;gambling addiction are able to find the ACTUAL root cause to address. I&#x27;m not blaming the LA Times. I LOVE content like this - and not all content needs a purpose. BUT - if the purpose was supposed to be helping people who play the lottery see their folly, this probably isn&#x27;t the right tack.