Lottery excitement rose again as the jackpot in Powerball, one of the most common games of chance in the US, reached 1.3 billion dollars last weekend.
With the amount in question reaching the fourth largest jackpot in the country's history, Americans tried their luck to win a life-changing amount of money for just 2 dollars, albeit one in 292.2 million.
In the US, where income inequality is increasing, people's interest in games of chance has also increased in recent years.
Spending on games of chance has increased by about 25 percent in the last 5 years
According to information obtained by the AA correspondent from the North American State and Regional Lotteries Association (NASPL), spending on games of chance in the US reached 113.3 billion dollars last year.
While spending on games of chance in the country increased by 5 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, it has increased by about 25 percent in the last 5 years.
Americans spent $ 90.9 billion on games of chance in 2019, $ 89.6 billion in 2020, $ 105.2 billion in 2021 and $ 107.9 billion in 2022.
The state with the highest sales of games of chance in the country was Florida with $9.8 billion, followed by California with $9.2 billion in sales.
Interest increases when the jackpot is big
In a statement made by NASPL to AA correspondent, it was stated that during the Covid-19 outbreak, there was an increase in game of chance sales in many regions.
The statement reminded that during the pandemic period, movie theaters and concert halls were closed, sports events were canceled, restrictions were imposed on eating in restaurants and many people avoided traveling, and it was stated that it was believed that the increase in gambling sales at that time was largely due to people's inability to participate in other forms of entertainment.
The statement said that it is difficult to measure the growth in the sales of games of chance without taking into account the increase in jackpots seen in recent years, adding, "When there is a big jackpot, sales tend to increase due to the excitement of the public and increased interest."
THE BIGGEST JACKPOT IN USA HISTORY IS 2.04 BILLION DOLLARS
The largest jackpot amount in games of chance in the US was reached in 2022 with 2.04 billion dollars.
The biggest jackpot in the country's history was hit on November 7, 2022 by a winner playing Powerball in the state of California.
