Whoever is loath to admit that the simple fact of playing lottery may as well leave sizeable odds of winning some serious lottery cash? Though it was not a skill-based game, as the numbers were randomly selected, Filipino people were intimately familiar with it in the late 2800s
and it toplled the financial crisis─ long thought to be “tried and tested.”
Blame it to the Spanish government who conducted loterrias to generate revenues. In fact our own national hero Dr. Jose Rizal won Php 6,200.00 in the draw of 1892 while on exile in Dapitan and he donated his winnings to an educational project. Maybe this altruistic act gives an inkling of what could be done if the lottery as harnessed for charitable and social welfare projects.
And this where it all started. We have inherited something that has long been part of our Filipino culture. Something that has already been a social norm since
the time of Juan Tamad.
Balancing Act
Source: www.bibokz.com
The clear signs of economic recession, slowdown, unemployment and uncertainties are visibly seen nowadays and the seeming contradictions do not end there.
In sheer desperation ─ note that this already nets out those who opted to seek their fortunes through a little gambling. People push their luck and find their way out of series of numbers.
Php 16,000,000─ what conclusions can we form from this huge amounts?
Nonetheless, this is the reason why do people play lottery and keep on vying for it. It is a cheap way to have an opportunity of winning big lottery prize with no special skills required and gamblers can even wager small amounts. With this, players have little or no fear of corruption because of the low payout compared to other forms of gambling.
Lotteries give an illusion of control to some players. Because you can pick your own numbers in some games, you can choose your own lucky number. Tabloids feature articles about how to improve odds at picking lottery numbers, obviously a forlorn hope because the winning numbers are product of a random process.
Another attraction of lottery is that people enjoy the non-monetary aspects of it, including talking about playing, engaging in the ritual weekly purchase, socializing with friends and coworkers to pool to but tickets and dreaming about winning perhaps the favorite activity among lottery players.
Surmounting the odds
But because most people are not wealthy and powerful, the odds of success in lotteries do not seem that important to players. They don’t seem to know the probable event that can occur. Definitely, a small number of people do win win large amounts of money, although the overwhelming majorities lose some. Lotteries recruit people into commercial gaming, especially in states that have had little legalized gaming or exposure to such activity.
In some places, lottery syndicates that are usually set up by groups of workmates or friends who have one objective of boosting their lottery winning chances has its downside too. It may develop improper syndicate agreement that has been put in place because of tax issues; situations like these often lead to legal action.
Gambling can be an addiction to some gamblers that they can’t escape from. This may affect young people who are engaged in such action.
Charity indices
Through and through, lotteries has its own good. More funds were raised fro health programs, medical assistance and services charities and other social welfare programs. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) conducts sweepstakes and lotteries to provide funds for its causes since it was founded in 1932. The agency gets its operating expenses from the sales of lottery tickets and other similar activities. PCSO registered gross earnings of approximately 15 billion pesos last year. It also supports the Philippine Anti-Tuberculosis Society.
The game itself is hardly illustrative of decency because of a number of moralists condemning it. The scrums and tackles can get life threatening. But lottery is one of the leading in the country, to avert crisis, not merely political but something more basic and valuable because it exists on the plane of the humbly familiar─ that ardent desire to surmount odds.