America has been hit by another wave of lottery fever. About 2 months ago, one of the citizens managed to win a jackpot of 2 billion dollars, and almost immediately after that, the sales of lottery tickets increased several times. Studies prove that the popularity of lottery tickets is most noticeable among African Americans.
Why is it so
Over the years, the lottery has acted as a mechanism of social mobility for Americans from all walks of life, with a particularly strong interest in black communities. Both players and gambling operators sought to break through to a new standard of living and achieve the wealth that white America had denied them under the prevailing economy.
Remarkably, even illegality did not diminish black interest in lotteries. At a time when the country’s authorities began outlawing such entertainment, it was, on the contrary, popular in the black communities of Chicago and other cities.
As statistics show, in the 1920s, the main clientele of lottery games were African-Americans, who sought to earn large winnings by betting as little as 5 cents on a ticket or number. Thus, for blacks, the lottery became more than just a chance to dream. For them, gambling became one of the few opportunities for them to achieve wealth, a source of income for young men. According to statistics, in the early 1970s, only in New York City, the games involved more than 20 thousand people.
The first changes
In the mid-1960s, the first state lotteries appeared, but they failed. Later, the authorities listened to the target audience of gambling entertainment, changed the strategy of lotteries, and adjusted the size and types of winnings. All this led to the fact that players began to gradually give preference to the legal product, which harmed the representatives of the African-American community.
What happens today
Daily numbers games from the state were a constant source of revenue for the country. But now, more African Americans have begun to participate in the legal pastime, as it is a major opportunity for many players to break into a new level of income. Today, the lottery is a democratic means of distributing wealth that does not discriminate on the basis of race or class.
In addition to this, African Americans have an active interest in casinos. Those who cannot get into a land-based casino play online, although internet casinos are banned. Many gamblers prefer Canadian casinos with no deposit bonuses because they give the opportunity to play for free, although illegally.
The task of society is to make low-income African-Americans understand that money can be earned by hard work, not only by playing lotteries. Otherwise, more and more people will become addicted.
