Original version

BBC World Service Australasia

The Inquiry

Documentaries

Factual

News

Getting beyond the headlines to explore the forces and ideas shaping the world

The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

The Inquiry: What’s the Point of Lotteries?

What’s the point of Lotteries?

13/09/2016 GMT

What’s the Point of Lotteries?

BBC World Service - The Inquiry, What’s the Point of Lotteries?

National lotteries exist all over the world. What are they for?

National lotteries exist all over the world – even the mountain kingdom of Bhutan now has one. What are they for?

It is now hard to find a country that does not have a state sponsored lottery – even the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan recently adopted one. They have famously been called a “tax for people who are bad at maths” and make little economic sense for the individuals who play. Instead, lotteries allow governments to raise much needed revenue to be spent on ‘good causes.’ But there is more to lotteries than power-balls and million dollar prizes. Should we embrace them as a way of making life more fair? Presented by Michael Blastland.

(Photo: Lottery balls are seen in a box at a Liquor store in San Lorenzo, California. Credit: Getty Images)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Inquiry

What’s the Point of Lotteries?

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Australasia

About BBC World Service