The lottery sham

I've known for a long time that the lottery is a total joke, but standing in line at the gas station today just reaffirmed my thoughts.  A lady in front of me presented a "winning" scratch-off ticket to the cashier.  "What did she win?" you may ask.  Five dollars.  Keep in mind that all of these tickets are at least $3 to buy.  So how did this woman spend her winnings (I think you know where this is going)?  She bought $8 worth of scratch off tickets.  I wanted to shake her and ask her if she knew what she just did.    

I don't understand this addiction, I really don't.  The only time in my life that I gambled was on my honeymoon when my new bride and I went to a casino.  We took in a grand total of $50, played the slots, and walked out with $42.  I felt euphoric that we only lost eight dollars.  That's when I realized how much of a sham the lottery/gambling really is.  

The whole incident with this lady today just made me sad.  All I could think of was her getting home, sitting down with a coin to scratch with, her heart racing as she starts to scratch.  "Is this the big one?" she might ask herself.  I can also imagine her disappointment with the results.  I want to tell her that her life doesn't have to be that desperate.  It doesn't have to be the endless cycle of spending money to make money to spend more money.  There's more to this life.