logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
49m 41s

Get Rich Quick: The American Lottery

NPR
About this episode
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 American's obsession with playing the numbers.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
What Happened to Vladimir Alexandrov?
Rund Abdelfatah and Cristina Kim try to unravel the mystery of a Soviet scientist who was helping to spread the word about nuclear winter theory—until he disappeared. <br/><br/>This is a peek at the kind of exclusive bonus content Throughline+ supporters get every month. Want mor ... Show More
14m 46s
Nov 20
Democracy Dies in a Day
How quickly can a government fall? Chile was once one of Latin America's oldest democracies, but that all changed in a matter of hours after a military coup on September 11, 1973. Some supported the coup; many did not. But for the next 17 years, all Chileans lived in the grip of ... Show More
51m 51s
Nov 13
The Creeping Coup
On the surface, the story of Sudan’s war is about two generals vying for power. But it’s also about a vast web of international interests involving the U.S., China, Russia, and the UAE. Today on the show, the story of how things in Sudan got to this point, and the effects of the ... Show More
50m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Hot Lotto
In 2010, a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket was sold at a gas station in Des Moines, Iowa. At first, no one showed up to claim the prize. And then, a series of lawyers tried to claim the money on behalf of a client they would not name. Things got stranger, and eventually investigat ... Show More
33m 41s
Mar 2025
83. Game Show Winnings
<p>How do TV producers decide how much money to give away? A little psychology and a lot of math. Zachary Crockett phones a friend.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://millionaire.fandom.com/wiki/Bowen_Kerins">Bowen Kerins,</a> math teacher and fo ... Show More
19m 9s
May 2025
How ‘The Joker’ Rigged the Texas Lottery
A global team of betting whizzes hatched a scheme to take down the Texas Lottery. The plan was led by a London banker-turned-bookmaker and a mysterious professional gambler nicknamed ‘The Joker.’ The duo partnered with a Texas company and local retailers to print more than 99% of ... Show More
22m 27s
Apr 2025
You get a million dollars, and you get a million dollars!
This week, while Dave Bittner is out, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start off with a lot of follow up on ... Show More
37m 12s
Oct 7
They Won Millions for Life. Until They Didn't.
In 2021, Tamar Veatch won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes competition run by Publishers Clearing House, the company best known for delivering oversized checks to winners. But then last April, Publishers Clearing House went bankrupt. WSJ’s Akiko Matsuda explains why the compa ... Show More
20m 33s
Nov 11
Billionaires
<p>In sixty years, we have gone from 2 billionaires in the United States to just under 2,000. How on earth did that happen?</p><p>Today, Timothy Noah from the New Republic takes us all the way from our framers fearing excessive wealth to the country's first (potential) trillionai ... Show More
24m 40s
Dec 2024
Azerbaijan Plane Crash: The Plot Thickens
A second black box is recovered as new questions swirl about Russia's involvement in that deadly Kazakhstan plane crash. Plus, how a discussion about immigration and visas turned into a referendum on American culture, sparking a MAGA civil war. And who wants to be a billionaire? ... Show More
47m 31s
Oct 24
FBI Takes Down NBA-Mafia Gambling Ring
<p>On Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced over 30 indictments as part of a massive investigation into a criminal gambling ring. Those indicted included prominent NBA players and coaches. Oh, and also the Mafia. The announcement comes just as the NBA begins its season and ... Show More
20m 45s
Jul 2025
Pepsi Caused a Riot That Killed 5 People
<p>In 1992, Pepsi Philippines launched a popular promotional campaign called Number Fever, in which bottle caps carried random three‑digit numbers—announced nightly on TV—with winnings ranging from ₱100 to a grand prize of ₱1 million. But on May 25, the winning number 349 was mis ... Show More
8m 35s