Problems

The lotteries have been a very popular form of entertainment for people since centuries. It is believed that lotteries have existed in some form or the other since centuries. Lotteries had often been used for raising revenue for the government for several different types of projects even in the ancient times.

In the early 20th century, most countries had considered gambling and games of chance to be illegal including sweepstakes and the lotteries. This had been so till the end of the 2nd World War. However, later several governments themselves started organizing state and national lotteries to generate additional revenue for funding various state projects. There are several problems which are associated with the lotteries which all the lottery ticket purchasers must be aware of.

The side effects of lotteries

Almost everyone purchases the lottery tickets in hopes of winning the jackpot though the chances of winning the jackpot are extremely small. Those who belong to a lower socioeconomic background might have problems if they win the jackpot. Most of the people in this background do not have the necessary money management skills and it is possible that they might not be able to handle and manage such a large amount of money. Winning a jackpot at the lottery would mean drastic changes in the lifestyle of the winner which sometimes people are not yet ready for and can have dramatic effect on the mental and physical health of the person.

Frauds and scams

Like any other type of gambling, lottery too can be susceptible to scams and frauds. Usually, the lottery has a high degree of security and scrutiny. However, there are still ways in which frauds can take place. For example if the machine which is used for selecting the winning numbers is tampered with, it is possible to commit a fraud. It is comparatively easy to win the lottery if the machine is rigged.

However, this can only be done with the help of an insider or someone who works with the lottery. Several different methods are used for tampering the machine like using loaded balls. The balls which are rigged would be lighter or heavier than the rest which would make them pop up and get selected. All the balls which are used in the lottery should be regularly checked for the material used in them, the quality of the material, the magnetism, pressure and size in order to ensure that they have not been tampered.

In several states in the US like Minnesota and Kansas, the lottery tickets can be mailed for special prizes. The problem with it is that the employees that sell the lottery tickets sometimes collect all the lottery tickets which are thrown away by the purchasers and mail them to the lottery office for winning special prizes. This could be a very unfair advantage to the lottery sellers.

Even on the internet there could be a few advance fee scams. Emails are sent to people congratulating them on winning the lottery and the email would mention that the winner will have to pay a certain amount as fees or tax for winning the prize money.