Gambling and Lottery Tickets

The girl was going to make red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting on Saturday night for the church potluck after church on Sunday.  However, she needed sour cream, so I headed to the nearby “bunny” store to pick up the item.

As the clerk rang up my purchase, I stared at the numbers on the till.  However, she thought I was staring past the till and at the sign pictured to my left. 

She said, “Oh, she wants a powerball!”

I laughed and shook my head – sure that I could not share how I really felt about buying a lottery ticket.  She and the man in the store shooting the breeze asked me why I laughed, so I said, “Well, unless someone sees this as just a fun purchase…and the money comes out of some recreation fund in the budget, I see it – and gambling in general – as a tax on stupidity. I know people who think that this is how they will be able to retire someday, and that is just not reality.”

So – what do readers think?