The 4000 years old lottery culture is still cherished by many states around the world, including the US, the UK, India, Malaysia, and the UAE. The Government of Pakistan is also considering introducing its own state lottery as a balm to the ailing economy.
Winning the lottery is all about fate. As it happens, you sometimes purchase one ticket and get a jackpot. On the other hand, you purchase a large number of lottery tickets and still fail to secure money. Thus, it won't be wrong to say that lottery tickets are only beneficial when luck is favoring you. Not to mention, winning a lottery is the easiest, most effortless way to make some quick cash.
However, many people in Pakistan highly disagree with this trend. They believe selling and buying lottery tickets is no different than gambling, which is forbidden in Islam. A lot of people, mostly staunch Muslims, also call it a form of usury. In fact, many consider it a sin. In light of this, a petition was filed in 1989 in the Federal Shariat Court against lottery culture in Pakistan under Article 203-D of the constitution of Pakistan. However, since no actions were taken, selling and buying lottery tickets in Pakistan remained in the gray.
Lottery Culture in Pakistan
Due to no relevant provisions in the Constitution of Pakistan and the Pakistan Penal Code, people still purchase lottery tickets in Pakistan, though the lottery draws seldom take place. Due to that, many Pakistanis invest in lotteries overseas. Recently, a Pakistani mechanic, working in Dubai, won a lottery worth AED 10,000,000 (PKR 60.7 crores) in the Mahzooz Weekly Draw.
Besides that, anyone living in Pakistan knows that there's a lot of hypocrisy in the air regarding this topic. On one hand, several Pakistanis discourage buying lottery tickets on religious grounds, and on the other hand, they invest in prize bonds. Prize bonds are more or less similar to lottery tickets. The only difference is that in case you don't win; you get to keep your invested money.
However, the point to consider here is that people buy prize bonds all the time. Forget about usury, many people fail to understand that it's also a form of lottery. Not to mention, it adversely affects the tax system of the country as your money in the form of prize bonds no longer remains traceable. It is precisely why many people convert their savings into prize bonds and avoid taxes, while practically eating the country away.
Furthermore, it has been making rounds that the Government of Pakistan is also taking lottery schemes into consideration. Pakistan's economy is deteriorating by the day and amid such a crisis, the Government of Pakistan may introduce a state lottery scheme. The money that they will earn through lottery schemes would then be used for development projects like setting up educational institutions and hospitals.
Many countries, including the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America have been successfully conducting similar lottery schemes and making good money out of them; hence, it isn't a bad idea. The Government of Pakistan is likely to set up a task force that will evaluate the economic effects of lottery schemes as well as the legal aspects.
It is further said that such lottery schemes will eventually take care of the conditions placed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Washington consensus, regarding the elimination of subsidies that burdens the masses as well as the exchequer.
Average Spending on Lottery Tickets Across the Globe
Winning the lottery is lucky for some, and tragic for others. However, everyone spends a little in the beginning when purchasing lottery tickets. The question is, how much do people spend on lottery tickets on average? According to the US. Census Bureau, the total state lottery ticket sales in the US are approximately $77 billion annually.
This research further stated that adults between 50-69 gamble the most on lottery tickets. Apart from that, selling and buying lottery tickets is more common among men than women. The same cycle continues in the United Kingdom. As mentioned by the Lottery Commission, people spend around £14.5 billion on lottery tickets every year.
The third is our next-door neighbor, India. Lottery culture isn't going anywhere in India, regardless of the fact that the Indian Government has banned lottery in 15 States and 8 Union Territories. As per statistics, the lottery industry in India is worth INR 50,000 crore and there are more than 40,000 lottery agents in Kerala, a state on India's tropical Malabar Coast where lottery schemes are legal.
Lottery schemes that were once considered an amusement activity have now become a major part of the state and individual earnings. In other words, they have become a passive income source for not various countries as well as their citizens. Pakistan may soon introduce its own state lottery scheme, which will certainly help both the GDP of the state and the common man in the country.