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For a Dollar and a Dream
State Lotteries in Modern America
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For a Dollar and a Dream
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book is ideal for readers interested in history, social policy, economics, and the cultural impact of gambling in America, especially those keen to understand the complex dynamics behind state lotteries and their societal implications.
A comprehensive study of American state lotteries, For a Dollar and a Dream shows how players and policymakers alike got hooked on hopes for a big windfall.
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Description
This first comprehensive history of America's lottery obsession explores the spread of state lotteries and how players and policymakers alike got hooked on wishful dreams of an elusive jackpot.
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 surging inequality and 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 a new source of revenue without cutting public services or raising taxes.
Even as evidence emerged that lotteries only provided a small percentage of state revenue, and even as data mounted about their appeal to the poor, states kept passing them and kept adding new games, desperate for their longshot gamble to pay off.
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.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Choice praises the book as a well-researched examination of an enduring American phenomenon, providing a chronological history of lotteries alongside insights into the politics and advertising of lotteries, especially in the South. The work is described as powerful and incisive, revealing how gambling reflects the times and society.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780197604885
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 01 December 2022
Country: United States
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Illustration: 5 black and white illustrations
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 23.0mm
Width: 164.0mm
Height: 237.0mm
Weight: 590g
Pages: 288
About the Author
Jonathan D. Cohen is a program officer at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He is the co-editor of All In: The Spread of Gambling in Twentieth-Century United States and Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen. He received his PhD in history from the University of Virginia. https://www.jonathandcohen.com
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