“Despite the one-in-292-million odds of winning the multi-state Powerball jackpot (you have a greater chance of dying from a falling coconut, which is one in 250 million), Americans spent $71.8 billion on lottery tickets in 2017. The bulk of this revenue was generated by the largest consumers of lottery tickets, who also happen to be the poorest Americans.” Leah Muncy in The Outline: It’s Time to Get Rid of the Lottery. (My dad has been saying this for years, and he’s right. But the chances of states getting rid of the lottery might be as long as the odds of you winning it.)