Because the jackpots in lotto games are potentially unlimited, it has been speculated that these lotteries may have a positive expected return for high jackpots. While most previous work has concluded that the lotto rarely presents a player with a positive expected return, this paper modifies previous payoff models and finds several cases where a positive expected return has existed. Furthermore, contrary to the existing literature, purchasing every possible number combination for a particular lottery drawing increases the expected return to the purchaser and leads to further instances where state lotteries provide a fair bet.
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Volume (Year): 27 (2001) Issue (Month): 1 (Winter) Pages: 55-70 Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML,
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Handle: RePEc:eej:eeconj:v:27:y:2001:i:1:p:55-70
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Find related papers by JEL classification: D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Recreation; Tourism H27 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Other Sources of Revenue
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