8 ways #lotteries could help make the world a better place
So I know what you are thinking – how on earth can lotteries make the world a better place? Seems a little far-fetched, right?
But in this interesting article I just read in Time Moneyland, the author outlines some ways that countries and organizations around the world have used lotteries as incentives for socio-political responsibility.
Here are eight examples of how lotteries have been used to encourage behavior that’s good for society:
1. Saving Money
Banks and credit unions in Maryland will soon start hosting raffles and lotteries, in which anyone who makes a deposit is automatically entered for a chance to win. This follows the examples set in the U.K., where cash prizes are used to encourage citizens to buy savings bonds.
2. Complying with Tax Codes
In China, many restaurants are mostly cash businesses, making it easy for them to underreport income. To solve this problem, the government supplied restaurants with receipts that include scratch-off lottery tickets on them. Customers are now likely to ask for receipts because of the lottery, which means that more receipts are being reported.
3. Cleaning Up After Your Dog
In New Taipei City, Taiwan, people are given a lottery ticket for each bag of dog excrement dropped off. Now there’s a good reason for picking up after your dog!
4. Going to School
At Texas’s Fort Worth Independent School District, all high school students who have perfect attendance for one six-week grading period are entered into a lottery with the chance to win a Dodge Challenger… I wonder if you can go back to high school when you are in your late 20s? I could do with a new car.
5. Voting
A few years ago the Arizona Voter Reward Act was proposed with the goal of improving voter turnout. The plan was for citizens who voted in primary and general elections to automatically be entered into a $1 million lottery. But, the bill failed, so I guess people in Arizona will have to keep voting to have a say in how their state is governed, not because they hope to win one million dollars.
6. Driving Under the Speed Limit
To encourage safer driving, a “speed-camera” lottery in Sweden uses positive, rather than negative reinforcement. All drivers who pass by cameras going under the speed limit become eligible to win cash prizes. This prize money is gathered as a result of speeding tickets. What a way to turn the negative into positive – one man’s fine, is another man’s prize!
7. Taking Prescription Medications
Studies have shown that one year after starting a prescription medicine, roughly half of patients aren’t taking them as directed. To increase the likelihood of meds being taken correctly, insurance companies have been testing a lottery where electronic monitors are used to track whether people are taking their prescriptions, and all who are have a chance to win cash daily.
8. Recycling
Vermont’s Recycle & Win program manages to encourage recycling and the lottery at the same time. When non-winning Instant Tickets are mailed or dropped off to be recycled, they also count as entries into a cash drawing that’s held every three months. The program gives residents good reason to recycle, and to keep playing the lottery.
To learn more about lotteries and other forms of gaming, check out Gaming Executive Summit LatAm.
