When Are State Lotteries a Good Bet (Revisited)?

Because the jackpots in lotto games are potentially unlimited, it has been speculated that these lotteries may have a positive expected return for high jackpots. While most previous work has concluded that the lotto rarely presents a player with a positive expected return, this paper modifies previous payoff models and finds several cases where a positive expected return has existed. Furthermore, contrary to the existing literature, purchasing every possible number combination for a particular lottery drawing increases the expected return to the purchaser and leads to further instances where state lotteries provide a fair bet.