Lottery Madness in Old Time Radio

To many, gambling is a vice to be controlled and prohibited. The brain chemistry of a person placing a bet is thought to be similar to that of a person having a sexual encounter, and although usually followed by the bitter disappointment of a loss, there is always the chance that the gambler will get to experience the rare ecstasy of winning.

Betting between individuals is very common and arguably the fairest form of gambling. The three elements of gambling are present in the transaction, consideration, the element of chance or risk, and a prize for making the right bet. There is an implication of honor between bettors, especially in these personal bets, that the loser will, in fact, pay the debt. Commercial gambling hall and casinos have a reputation to protect and will therefore never bet more than the establishment can afford to lose. Win or lose, "the house always takes a cut" ensures that the house will always be able to pay off, but that the house will always profit.

When the state or government sponsored gambling it usually takes the form of a lottery. The term rises from the casting of lots, or dice. The "game" of a state lottery is usually the drawing of a series of randomly selected numbers. In some games, the bettors are able to bet on their own "lucky numbers" and in others, they are given a number by the lottery organizers. In either case, the odds of winning are so long that selecting or accepting numbers has little effect on the outcome. The bet or buy-in for these sometimes-huge lotteries is usually negligible, but the payout can be large enough to raise an individual towards true wealth.

Since they provide a potential payoff for the eventual winner, citizens tend to be much more enthusiastic about contributing to a lottery than they are about paying a tax to fund government projects. The New York City Hall was built, in part, with lottery proceeds, and New York has also used lotteries to fund canal building and repair, road and bridge building, and other public works projects before the official New York State Lottery was established in 1967 to fund education. Fred Allen was discussing the establishment of a state lottery in New York as early as 1940, and baseball great Jackie Robinson brought up a national lottery on his show in 1958. Even though the profits of a lottery can finance many beneficial works, whenever there is so much money involved corruption cannot be far behind, and on The Big Story Keeler McCartney of the Atlanta Constitution tries to shine a light on the corruption in his city.

One of the most chilling examples of how random chance can work is in Shirley Jackson's classic short story, "The Lottery". Unlike a normal lottery where players pay for the chance to win, the winner of this lottery is expected to pay with her life for the peace and prosperity of her town. A much happier lottery result happens for former vaudevillians Jim and Marion Jordan when their characters Fibber McGee and Molly invest $2 on a lottery ticket which nets them a house at 79 Wistful Vista, which will become one of the most beloved addresses in radio for more than two decades.

See also: Poker and Gambling in Old Time Radio.