There are a number of factors that can determine the likelihood that you’ll win the lottery. For example, there are two different categories of players: those who play frequently and those who play infrequently. Then there’s the question of how much African-Americans spend on the lottery. To answer that question, let’s explore the statistics on lottery playing.
Frequently played the lottery
According to a survey conducted by Gallup Analytics, 50% of American adults find playing the lottery rewarding and buy tickets at least occasionally. The survey included 1,025 people from all 50 states and had a margin of error of four percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The survey also found that men are more likely to buy lottery tickets than women.
People who regularly play the lottery have a greater chance of winning. A frequent player will often spread his numbers over a wide number of draws. An infrequent player will sometimes play a winning combination more than once. It’s worth noting that the likelihood of winning the lottery varies depending on your age, birth date, and draw date.
Infrequent players
Unlike frequent players, infrequent players in the lottery have a much lower winning percentage. They tend to avoid playing the same combination twice, choose numbers that are uncommon to the general population, and don’t spread their selections across a wide range. These factors all make infrequent players’ numbers lower than the odds of winning a large prize.
Per capita spending by African-Americans
The numbers tell us that African-Americans spend a lot of money on the lottery. Despite having a lower overall gambling rate, blacks spend more than any other racial group on lottery games. According to a 2008 study by Welte et al., black people spent an average of $90 per person on the lottery in a two-week period. This is the equivalent of $2,276 per person per year.
Lottery sales in black areas were between 29 percent and 33 percent higher than those in white or Latino areas. The median amount of money spent per person in ZIP codes with at least 70 percent black residents was $224, while the average figure was $169 per person in white ZIP codes. While the figures may appear skewed, the lottery public relations director said that it wasn’t the fault of the African-American community. Historically, number-based games of chance have been popular in underdeveloped communities.
The study analyzed data from two representative household surveys in the United States. They included data from 2,631 adults and 2,274 youths. The authors looked at sociodemographic predictors and lottery spending by race and income. They found that blacks and Hispanics spent more money on lottery tickets than whites and low-income people.