For many Americans, playing the lottery is fun and exciting. How much do we spend on playing the lottery? The New York Times reports that Americans shell out an average of $540 per household on lottery tickets every year. Californians love playing the lottery, too. California lottery tickets such as Powerball, Mega Millions, and SuperLotto Plus give players the opportunity to win multi-million dollar jackpots. So why doesn’t everyone play the lottery?
While many people enjoy playing the lottery, not everyone can or should play. Here’s a list of who can, can’t, and shouldn’t play the lottery:
Age Matters
Many of us forget that playing the lottery is a type of gambling. For this reason, players must be of legal age to buy tickets. In the state of California, the legal age is 18. If you’re over the legal age of 18, you can play the lottery. But if you’re under 18 years of age, you won’t be able to get tickets either in the store or online via Lotto Gopher (a company that sends a gopher for lottery tickets on your behalf.)
Recovery
If you’re recovering from any type of dependency, it’s best to avoid playing the lottery. This includes recovery from gambling, alcoholism, and chemical dependency. Recovering from any type of addiction is hard, so it’s important to focus on the recovery process and avoid substituting one addiction for another.