The Demand for Lottery Products and Their Distributional Consequences

This study examines the distributional impact of three types of lottery games operated by the South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL). We find significant sales variation by game type across both age and race. We also find each of the three types to be regressive, but with substantial differences in the degree of regressivity across games. By estimating the determinants of lottery sales using variables that capture the distribution of income rather than simply its level, our analysis provides a more complete description of the incidence of lottery sales. Our results suggest that lotteries may not be as regressive as suggested by the earlier literature.