There are considerable differences between playing the lottery and gambling.

[Cityhunter34]

Sometimes we need to make things easier than making it difficult by ourselves because there's no single difference between them at all because both of them are entirely on luck which you don't need anything else except luck on your side. However, I think the main thing is discipline yourself and stop when you are not getting it correctly because that's exactly the best way to overcome frequent losses and addiction. So don't get it twisted by trying to differentiate them.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

People gamble or play the lottery with the idea that there is a chance of getting rich quickly. There is also a high chance of losing your funds from both the lottery and gambling. Buying lottery tickets is a solitary activity where players hope to overcome the odds and change their lives. Another similarity is that most lottery tickets do not win money but there are some that can win $2-5. So players get excited and think they have a real chance of winning the jackpot. This experience is similar to winning a few credits on a slot machine. In both cases there is an incentive to keep playing.

I think you are pointing out the obvious, specially if you are a gambler that knows the numbers behind the lottery. But still though, you can't discount the fact that the huge winnings attract a lot of gamblers to try lottery if the odds are pretty much against them.

And compare to let's say sports betting or casino games. We love those kind of games and even if the return is not that huge, it's better for some of us as compare to try to hit that magical lottery and dream of changing our lives for the better.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

Sometimes we need to make things easier than making it difficult by ourselves because there's no single difference between them at all because both of them are entirely on luck which you don't need anything else except luck on your side.

That statement of yours is rather poor, to put it mildly. And it suggests you haven’t read a single post in this thread. Contrary to what you’re saying, there are significant differences. For a start, when you play the lottery, you have to wait a while between buying the ticket and finding out the result – usually at least a few hours, sometimes days. In gambling, however, you place a bet and generally get the result in under a minute. This is the case for casino games; it’s different for sports betting or horse racing. Another difference is the potential winnings. In the lottery, you can win life-changing sums of money and even generational wealth from a single play, which rarely happens in casino games.

The fact that both rely on a random process to determine the outcome doesn’t mean there aren’t any differences – something you would have realised if you’d stopped to think about it for a moment instead of rushing to write something just to meet your weekly quota.

[Samlucky O]

For me the only considerable different between them is that in lottery you gamble and wait for results like the sport bet while in slot games you play continuously. But apart from this there are no other considerable different, they both fall under the category of gambling, what matters is how you play those game. When you gamble more than you can afford to lose in lottery then you are becoming addictive and when you lose more and start chasing loses, then you are also becoming addictive just like the slot Gambler. The repercussions of what will happen to the lottery man is also applicable to that which will happen to the slot or pocket player or sport betting. In conclusion whatever game that is addictive and can possibly leed to addiction of loses and cause dippresion is not different from each other no matter how they appear or looks.

[viljy]

The main difference between lotteries and regular gambling games (let's call them slots in general, according to the type of the most popular of them) is the time to wait for the result. Slots are a fast gambling game whereas lottery is a slow gambling game. Nowadays, when online has penetrated all spheres of society and life in general has accelerated, the lottery sometimes seems to be something archaic. But that's the charm of the lottery. It is an island of tranquility amidst the turmoil. Don't rush anywhere. Anticipating a possible win without nervous tension is what the lottery offers. And one more important thing. Due to its slowness, the lottery is much less likely to provoke the development of gambling addiction.

My relative has been buying lottery tickets all his life, but he felt calm even if he hadn't played for months. There was an opportunity - he bought, there was no opportunity - he was not upset about it. So you can play the lottery for decades without any gambling addiction. But with slots, you always need to keep yourself in control - and this still does not allow you to relax too much.

[michellee]

Playing lottery giving chances of getting rich but not many people have the luck to win. But people seems don't thinks that playing lottery needs luck and makes them still buying the ticket.

If the lottery prices are not too expensive, that will not be a problem for them to buy so they can spends some money that they prepare buying the lottery tickets. But some people seems don't care with that and spends much money as they thinks that will gives them much chances to win.

Buying lottery tickets makes them excited as there is chances to win someday and that makes them don't stopping buying lottery and expect they will wins.

[Outhue]

People gamble or play the lottery with the idea that there is a chance of getting rich quickly. There is also a high chance of losing your funds from both the lottery and gambling. Buying lottery tickets is a solitary activity where players hope to overcome the odds and change their lives. Another similarity is that most lottery tickets do not win money but there are some that can win $2-5. So players get excited and think they have a real chance of winning the jackpot. This experience is similar to winning a few credits on a slot machine. In both cases there is an incentive to keep playing.

It doesn't hurt to try, what people shouldn't do is depending too much on things that are based on prediction, which is far from reality, as the chances that they will fail iss very high, it's safer to rely on your daily job than some lottery tickets but it doesn't hurt to try, just do it in a responsible way that won't ruin your life.

I don't buy lottery tickets but am into something similar apart from gambling, I am talking about Bitcoin solo mining, using small Asic miners, this is how I choose to play my own lottery game, and I don't have to spend every day to buy a ticket, it's a kind of money you spent just once and that's all, but solo miner and connect to solo pool, if you are lucky you win 3 BTC per block which is consider life changing to me.

[Ishicryptic]

I believe that the major difference between people that gambles and others that plays the lottery is that gamblers play in casinos while lottery players don't use a casino. Casino games shows you instant report like when you're on a slot machine you can keep going for as long as you like while in lottery you have to wait until the providers makes the draw before you will know whether you win or lose. But aside from this little differences they are all gambling because you stake money in the hope of winning multiple times what you stake. Even prediction market that are so-called trading instead of betting it is still gambling with a different name.

[junder]

There are many types of gambling, and each has its own distinct characteristics. When it comes to the lottery I think some people enjoy playing it, but they tend to attach it to things they shouldn’t (such as the sacred). This is a common occurrence in my community among people who like to bet on the lottery, but the clear similarity is that both carry an equally high risk of losing.

[DrBeer]

People gamble or play the lottery with the idea that there is a chance of getting rich quickly. There is also a high chance of losing your funds from both the lottery and gambling. Buying lottery tickets is a solitary activity where players hope to overcome the odds and change their lives. Another similarity is that most lottery tickets do not win money but there are some that can win $2-5. So players get excited and think they have a real chance of winning the jackpot. This experience is similar to winning a few credits on a slot machine. In both cases there is an incentive to keep playing.

Speaking strictly from personal experience
I buy lottery tickets. But I have a strict budget for them-I buy them once a month. I’m talking about instant-win lotteries.
I also play once a month, on a similarly limited budget, in lotteries where I have to make a choice and pick, say, 6 out of 64 numbers on the play field.
It’s purely a “game of chance,” though I do win sometimes

[alastantiger]

Another similarity is that most lottery tickets do not win money but there are some that can win $2-5. So players get excited and think they have a real chance of winning the jackpot. This experience is similar to winning a few credits on a slot machine. In both cases there is an incentive to keep playing.

I do agree with you that are differences between playing the lottery and gambling on slot games or playing sport bets but they are called gambling to me because that is what I see them to be. A lottery ticket might determine your fate with a little amount of money then you can win a huge sum and the same can happen when you are playing sport betting with little amount of money with an increase in odds that you have to involve many games.

Lottery is a little bit harder to win than when you are gambling on slot games or dice or sport betting because with lottery your winning chances are slimmer and winning will be determined by a very huge odd but when gambling you can win a little bit of money and then you use that to hold yourself so that you don't stake newer capitals from your pocket.

[lionheart78]

People gamble or play the lottery with the idea that there is a chance of getting rich quickly. There is also a high chance of losing your funds from both the lottery and gambling. Buying lottery tickets is a solitary activity where players hope to overcome the odds and change their lives. Another similarity is that most lottery tickets do not win money but there are some that can win $2-5. So players get excited and think they have a real chance of winning the jackpot. This experience is similar to winning a few credits on a slot machine. In both cases there is an incentive to keep playing.

Buying ticket for lottery is also considere as gambling, so obviously it has the same characteristics as gambling like slots or other gambling games.  One have to stake, take risk and see whether they will get a high reward or lose their stake.

In both cases there is an incentive to keep playing

The difference is that, playing in a casino with slots have more perks than just buying ticket for lottery.  We all know that casino platforms offers cashback, VIP bonuses, rakeback, and more, while buying ticket for lottery does not have any of these.

[#CapsLOck]

Sometimes we need to make things easier than making it difficult by ourselves because there's no single difference between them at all because both of them are entirely on luck which you don't need anything else except luck on your side. However, I think the main thing is discipline yourself and stop when you are not getting it correctly because that's exactly the best way to overcome frequent losses and addiction. So don't get it twisted by trying to differentiate them.

I can see your argument. particularly regarding discipline and the intervention of luck. but I believe that there exist certain significant differences between lottery and gambling. Lotteries tend to be low frequency and fixed-stake. whereas gambling may be continuous. strategic and have more exposure to risk. That notwithstanding. you are completely correct that both are highly dependent on luck and would result in losses in case they are not regulated. The most important lesson is to be self contained. to know when to quit and to establish boundaries. It could be lottery or gambling. but behavior control and not being emotionally driven is what really prevents addiction and financial difficulties.

[Lida93]

I think lottery players are smarter than gamblers who play slot machines very often sometimes even every day. They are smarter because they know how to stay within their predefined budget as for example the lottery is as often as once a week usually and they buy the tickets needed and wait for the results such not spending a lot of money also not binding themselves to addiction. I am not talking about the guys who play instant lottery like scratch card as I see no difference between them and slot players.

Are the lottery player actually that smarter than slot or sport bets gamblers or it's just that for the lottery it avails them a once in a week opportunity to buy the ticket and try their luck. Check down and you would see that there are many lottery players that don't miss it buying the tickets each opening week, same would happen if the lottery is made to be what runs all the days of the week just as slot machine games and sports bets are done.

[Wakate]

I think lottery players are smarter than gamblers who play slot machines very often sometimes even every day. They are smarter because they know how to stay within their predefined budget as for example the lottery is as often as once a week usually and they buy the tickets needed and wait for the results such not spending a lot of money also not binding themselves to addiction. I am not talking about the guys who play instant lottery like scratch card as I see no difference between them and slot players.

Are the lottery player actually that smarter than slot or sport bets gamblers or it's just that for the lottery it avails them a once in a week opportunity to buy the ticket and try their luck. Check down and you would see that there are many lottery players that don't miss it buying the tickets each opening week, same would happen if the lottery is made to be what runs all the days of the week just as slot machine games and sports bets are done.

What's the difference and I want you to fish what make a lottery player to be different from sport or slot game players.
These are no difference at all and what make these people the same is because they are putting their money out to make extra through betting to be the fortunate gambler. They'll making attempts to make more money in their own way.
You can either win or lose your money at the process of trying to make more money for yourself.

[STT]

I call it the same thing, gambling by another name is sill gambling; after witnessing my 16 year old friend basically gambling in shops on lotto tickets.  Instant win and spending large amounts, more then I earnt in a week.  Basically he was showing off in front of us, its definitely gambling to me.

Yes it was still a lottery based type promotion as someone who is 16 won the grand prize of millions.   At that young age it was gone in a few years sadly, hard to be sensible when you are still growing up.
  Lottery is promoted as safe and mostly people do play it that way but also when its taxed and promoted everywhere with that backing by government it does become gambling.
 It is hypocritical to try separate or say lotto is somehow superior as its still risk money based gaming.