There are probably better ways to spend /make money, but I see the allure of lottery ticket.
We have a couple local hospitals that run lotteries Toronto Sick Kids and Princess Margaret Cancer Hospitals. Prizes are homes, cars, trips cash etc . I typically buy one of each as the money goes to a good cause and it gives me a chance to win something versus a charitable donation Tickets are $100 each. I've won a few smaller prizes over the years, tv, stereo headphones, a bike.
Demographical studies show that the poor are the ones who mostly buy lottery tickets...lots of info on this but this guy sums it up well.
"The lottery is a tax on poor people and on people who can’t do math. Rich people and smart people would be in the line if the lottery were a real wealth-building tool, but the truth is that the lottery is a rip-off instituted by our government. This is not a moral position; it is a mathematical, statistical fact. Studies show that the zip codes that spend four times what anyone else does on lottery tickets are those in lower-income parts of town. The lottery, or gambling of any kind, offers false hope, not a ticket out.”
― Dave Ramsey, The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness