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Who Plays the Lottery in North Carolina? Obviously, Everyone.

To those who would say that only the “poor” play the lottery, I would cite statistics recently uncovered by the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina… the heart of the Bible Belt.

Not only do more than half the adults in the state play the lottery (at least once a year)…but the survey found the statistics mirror that of play all over America. Add to that… lottery play does not increase gambling addiction.

That’s all good news for the lottery business. And for people like me, who while I don’t advocate gambling for more than you can afford, believes that EVERYONE plays the lottery. 125 million of us Americans.

Here’s the truncated version of the North Carolina story, courtesy of the Observer:

Fifty-eight percent of North Carolina adults have played the lottery since it was created three years ago, said the first poll conducted for the N.C. Education Lottery Commission.

North Carolina’s rate of lottery play is similar to the national average, even though strong opposition made the Tar Heel State the last big one in the country to adopt a lottery.

“North Carolina looks like the other states,” said Charles Clotfelter, a Duke University economist who has written extensively about state lotteries.

The intensity of the opposition to the lottery in North Carolina, from church and public policy leaders, did not translate to how average citizens felt about it, Clotfelter said.

The state lottery commission hired the Bantam Group, a Massachusetts firm, which conducted 1,000 online interviews and 100 telephone interviews from Jan. 14-23.

The survey found that of the 58 percent of North Carolina adults who have played the lottery, 18 percent played it at least weekly. Of the 42 percent who said they have not played, 21 percent said they are likely to play in the future, while 64 percent said they would rather spend their money elsewhere.

Even during the deep recession, there has been no drop in the number of North Carolinians playing the lottery.

One concern by opponents was that the state lottery would increase problem gambling. But officials with the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday the rate of gambling addiction among North Carolinians who gamble had remained at about 2.5 percent between December 2005 and 2007.

GAMES WE PLAY:

Big jackpot in play tonight, Mar. 25. Powerball has an $81 million jackpot in play.

Friday, Mega Millions jackpot is $34 million, after there were no jackpot winners last night. The winning numbers are 4,25,34,43,44 and the Mega ball is 45. 4 tickets matched 5 of 5, but not the Mega ball. Those tickets are each worth $250,000. They were bought in Georgia (2), New Jersey and Texas.

Friday, Mar. 27′s Euro Millions jackpot is 15 million Euros.

Good luck, players.