'Before Ohio's lottery was launched in 1975, spending on education increased at a rate of $11 per capita every year. That shot up to $26 in 1976 thanks to the lottery — then it fell to less than $7 because lawmakers slashed education spending."

Overall, the people getting the rawest deal from the lottery are the players themselves. The purchaser of a Powerball ticket effectively has zero chance of winning.

I've often said you have a better chance of being struck by lightning twice in the same day than winning.