For a Dollar and a Dream

State Lotteries in Modern America

By: Jonathan D. Cohen

Narrated by: Tom Lennon

Every week, one in eight Americans place a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot. Americans spend more on lottery tickets annually than on video streaming services, concert tickets, books, and movie tickets combined.

The story of lotteries in the United States may seem straightforward: tickets are bought predominately by poor people driven by the wishful belief that they will overcome infinitesimal odds and secure lives of luxury. The reality is more complicated. For a Dollar and a Dream shows how, in an era of stagnant upward mobility, millions of Americans turned to the lottery as their only chance at achieving the American Dream. Gamblers were not the only ones who bet on betting. As voters revolted against higher taxes in the late twentieth century, states saw legalized gambling as a panacea, a way of generating revenue without cutting public services or raising taxes. Alongside stories of lottery winners and losers, Jonathan Cohen shows how gamblers have used prayer to help them win a jackpot, how states tried to pay for schools with scratch-off tickets, and how lottery advertising has targeted lower income and nonwhite communities.

For a Dollar and a Dream charts the untold history of the nation's lottery system, revealing how players and policymakers alike got hooked on hopes for a gambling windfall.

©2022 Oxford University Press (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Lots of info, but I found it a bit tedious.

This is not the book I was hoping to listen to. I was hoping to listen to a book about the lives of lottery winners. I knew that this was not going to be that book, but I thought it might devote a chapter to the topic. No, it does not. The closest it really gets is to comment that there is a myth that lottery winners often suffer great hardships and even tragedy after winning,, when in fact such stories are rare. Actually, there are a few quotes from lottery winners included, but typically, these are made soon after winning, and reflect on how they won, or what they plan to do with the money.

While this is not the book I was hoping to listen to, it is certainly not a bad book. It is actually very informative. But it is a somewhat scholarly history book. It is definitely not for everybody. If you have a keen interest in lottery history, especially in the era starting in the mid 1960s, this might be a great book for you. It seems to be written with legislators in mind. But journalists, lobbyists, lottery employees and even some curious lay people may find it worth reading.

The basic thesis is that lotteries have been embraced as a means for government fundraising -- a method to avoid new taxes. However, the funds raised are usually far less than promised. And the money raised often is not used according to the plan, or in the best possible way. The biggest losers are the low-income people who may waste a lot of money on losing lottery tickets. Given that states are unlikely to abolish lotteries, states should rethink how they do lotteries so as to reduce the harm.

My interest in this topic is moderate at best, not being lottery player. I often found the book tedious and repetitive. But I did learn a lot, not only about lotteries, and how they have been set up in the modern era, but also about the electoral politics of the last 50 years, and the economic plight of many Americans who increasingly turn to the lottery as their last best hope of striking it rich.

Needs to be read

Can’t believe this isn’t getting pushed more by the Amazon algorithm relative to the poor options I’ve been seeing. This is a relevant text that uncovers something happening in America in the current moment. Interesting listen.

Relevant and well researched

Easy read (listen), with narratives to keep it engaging.

Author does a great job relating the lottery to taxes, politics, and questions of class and American identity.
Strongly recommend.