And I believe that because of human nature, scratch off tickets are one of the biggest scams. Nearly every person who wins anything (except the giant jackpots) ultimately "invests" those winnings in more scratch off tickets in an attempt to get the jackpot.
"Wow, I won $20 on this $1 ticket. I'll buy 4 of the $5 tickets and maybe I'll win a lot of money. If I don't, I'm only out one dollar." The suckers can't just take their winnings and walk away. And, for the suckers who DO walk away with some meager amount of winnings, they ultimately justify their gambling addiction this way: "It's fun, I won $100 about 6 months ago" - while blowing $20 or more a week. I can't disagree with the "it's fun" part. 15 seconds of scratching and hoping to win can bring a big adrenaline rush; usually followed by a let down. Geee, isn't that how drugs work? They make you feel good for a short time, then you feel worse, so you end up taking the drugs again? - addiction.