Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

THE answer seems to be: almost everybody. And the easiest way to become one​—according to popular opinion—​is by striking it rich in a lottery or a soccer pool.a

Pandering to prevailing taste​—and wanting the extra income that lotteries generate—​governments from Moscow to Madrid, from Manila to Mexico City, sponsor State lotteries that offer prizes as high as a hundred million dollars.

A few people do become millionaires. One Englishman had filled out soccer coupons for 25 years before he finally won a record jackpot. For a stake of 50 cents, he won nearly $1.5 million. Even more spectacular was the payoff for a woman from New York, who became one of the world’s biggest winners when she won $55 million in the Florida State lottery.

But they are exceptions. More typical is the middle-​aged Spanish clerk who bought lottery tickets every week for 30 years. Although he has never won anything substantial, he remains undaunted. “I always expect to win,” he says. Likewise, a man in Montreal, who spent an entire week’s wages on a Canadian lottery, summed up the viewpoint of many when he explained: “Drawings like this are the only way the little guy can dream about a better life.” Yet he didn’t win.

Despite the universal appeal of lotteries, another form of gambling is enjoying increasing popularity: playing the slot machines. Although the one-​armed bandits don’t offer overnight riches, they do give the player an instant opportunity to win a jackpot​—which may be substantial. And they are no longer confined to casinos. Catchy jingles, flashing lights, and the occasional clatter of cascading coins advertise their pervasive presence in many European cafés, clubs, restaurants, and hotels.

Frances is an elderly widow who lives in New York City. Two or three times every week, she takes a two-​and-a-half-​hour bus ride to Atlantic City, New Jersey. On arrival she enters one of the city’s casinos, and there she plays the slot machines for six hours or so before returning home. “I don’t know what I’d do without Atlantic City,” she remarks. “This is our fun, you know, this is what we do.”

For others, gambling is much more than mere amusement, an escape from everyday routine, or a hopeful stab at riches. In their case it is an important​—if not essential—​part of life.

“I’m a gambler because I enjoy the risk involved,” explains Luciano, from Córdoba, Spain. “I’m not making excuses for myself,” he adds, “but the fact is I was feeling depressed, and that is why I started playing bingo. Then I looked for other games of chance. You feel great when you have a pocketful of bills and are ready to play.” Another habitual gambler, who had lost his job as a company director, was asked if he had ever considered giving up his vice. “Give it up?” he replied. “I couldn’t do that. It’s my living.”

Although the motives may vary, gamblers are certainly not a minority group. To a greater or lesser extent, 3 out of 4 adult Americans gamble; the proportion in Spain, another country where gambling is endemic, is similar. And gambling is big business. Only a few industrial corporations in the world have annual sales that exceed those generated by the lotteries in 39 countries.

Evidently, gambling’s magic is potent. But is it a harmless enchantment, or does it harbor hidden dangers? An ancient proverb warns: “He that is hastening to gain riches will not remain innocent.” (Proverbs 28:20) Is this true in the case of those who would be rich the gambling way?

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