美國彩票背後的故事：賭博，訴訟，腐敗，道德化，金融破産，以及更多的賭博。

盡管存在極小的可能性，但超過一半的美國人承認參與抽奬。我們等待排長隊，放棄我們的咖啡休息時間。我們颳颳票，贏取並在更多颳颳票上花費奬金。我們每周都會播放“幸運”號碼。

在一個賭博很大程度上違法的國傢，這是一種奇怪的狀況。盡管英格蘭王位存在疑慮，彩票仍讓詹姆斯敦定居者活著。經過幾個世紀以來與公眾和政府的愛恨交織，包括全國範圍的禁令，42個州和國傢首都現在以學校兒童和老年人的名義鼓勵賭博。盡管有一些奇怪的宗教權利和自由派反對者的反對，彩票取得瞭成功，他們聲稱政府不應該嚮窮人或輕信的人推銷長期纍積奬金。

為什麼我們玩這個帶來很少奬勵的遊戲，讓我們為瞭我們發誓將成為贏傢的門票而匆匆忙忙地翻閱垃圾？這場比賽如何在這麼多障礙中堅持甚至繁榮？

在這本有洞察力的，強製性的可讀書中，馬修斯威尼給齣瞭美國彩票的曆史，一路上停下來給我們帶來奇怪的 - 有時甚至是悲劇性的故事：這個五百萬美元的奇跡男人變得身無分文傳教士，投資於瘋子能源計劃; 參議員的不閤時宜的傷害使得彩票能夠在他的傢鄉通過法律; 和許多其他人。

憑藉洞察力和機智，“彩票戰爭”為我們提供瞭建立全國性機構的人和故事，無論好壞。

The story behind the American lottery: gambling, lawsuits, corruption, moralizing, financial ruin, and more gambling.

Despite the infinitesimal odds, more than half of Americans admit to playing the lottery. We wait on long lines and give up our coffee breaks. We scratch tickets, win, and spend the winnings on more scratch tickets. We play our “lucky” numbers, week in and week out.

In a country where gambling is largely illegal, this is a strange state of affairs. Lotteries kept the Jamestown settlers alive, despite misgivings from the throne of England. After centuries of a love-hate relationship with the public and the government, including a nationwide ban, forty-two states and the nation’s capital now encourage lottery gambling in the name of school kids and senior citizens. T he lotteries have succeeded despite opposition from an odd pairing of the religious right and liberal opponents, who claim the government ought not be in the business of promoting long-odds jackpots to the poor or gullible.

Why do we play this game that brings few rewards and leaves us rifling through the garbage for the ticket we swear would be a winner? How has this game persisted, even flourished, against so many obstacles?

In this perceptive, compulsively readable book, Matthew Sweeney gives a history of the American lottery, stopping along the way to give us the bizarre—and sometimes tragic—stories that it makes possible: the five-million-dollar miracle man who became a penniless preacher, investing in a crackpot energy scheme; the senator whose untimely injury allowed the lottery to pass into law in his home state; and many others.

Written with insight and wit, The Lottery Wars gives us the people and the stories that built a nationwide institution, for better or worse.

Matthew Sweeney是一位為“紐約時報”和“紐約郵報”撰稿的記者。他住在布魯剋林。