From scratchers to the Powerball, the lottery is the most popular form of gambling in the United States, even though the odds of winning a big jackpot is infinitesimally small.
Apr 2025
Get Rich Quick: The American Lottery
Want to get rich quick? You're not alone. Right now, Americans spend over $100 billion, yes billion, every year on lottery tickets. Today on the show, in collaboration with Scratch and Win from WGBH, how the mafia, Sputnik, medical equipment, and the electoral college led to Amer ... Show More
49m 41s
Feb 2025
How the scratch off lottery changed America
Americans spend more on scratch lottery tickets per year than on pizza. More than all Coca-Cola products. Yet the scratch ticket as a consumer item has only existed for fifty years. Not so long ago, the idea of an instant lottery, of gambling with a little sheet of paper, was str ... Show More
29m 42s
Dec 2023
The Curse of the Unlucky Lottery Winners
Elizabeth has long had a fantasy that one day she would win the lottery, but in this episode, Zaron offers up evidence that she may want to find a new dream. You see, he bigger the lottery win, the more likely the winner's life is ruined by their good fortune. And often in ridicu ... Show More
53m 23s
Dec 2024
All Or Nothing: The Rise of Sports Betting | 134
In this episode we examine America’s favorite pastime: gambling. With loosening regulations, the explosion of online betting sites, and the full support of major sports leagues, sportsbetting has become ripe for scam. In this episode we meet an accountant who worked the system an ... Show More
52m 56s