Big Game Jackpot Sparks ``Lottery Fantasy Syndrome''.News Editors NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 9, 2000 "The Big Game lottery lottery, scheme for distributing prizes by lot or other method of chance selection to persons who have paid for the opportunity to win. The term is not applicable when lots are drawn without payment by the interested parties to determine some matter, e.g. jackpot is over $325 million, which gives rise to a sensation called 'lottery fantasy syndrome,' a form of psychological depression that can occur in lottery purchasers when they think that they will win and don't don't 1. Contraction of do not. 2. Nonstandard Contraction of does not. n. A statement of what should not be done: a list of the dos and don'ts. ," according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. psychologist psy·chol·o·gist n. A person trained and educated to perform psychological research, testing, and therapy. psychologist and researcher, Robert R. Butterworth, Ph.D., who researched lottery players' hopes, dreams and fantasies. The symptoms of Fantasy Syndrome: these lottery buyers firmly believe that they are going to win the jackpot, and even before the numbers are drawn, they make plans on how they are going to spend their winnings. These fantasies usually involve drastic life changes. Unfortunately, when lottery players don't win, their dreams are shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. and they experience a type of depression -- "when the truth of reality destroys the dreams of fantasy," says Butterworth, adding, "This lottery fantasy syndrome really heats up when the Lotto jackpot climbs as it is today, to over $300 million." "People purchase a ticket, ignore the odds and start thinking of the impossible: quitting their jobs, buying items that they've always wanted, going places that they have never been, and some even think of divorcing their spouses and starting their lives completely over. "Then their Lotto number doesn't win and all these folks who have been in fantasy land -- thinking about how all this money may help create a new life -- crash! Life becomes more difficult; depression and apathy apathy /ap·a·thy/ (ap´ah-the) lack of feeling or emotion; indifference.apathet´ic ap·a·thy n. Lack of interest, concern, or emotion; indifference. can occur -- just because someone buys a lottery ticket," said Butterworth. Lottery fantasy syndrome can occur regardless of how many tickets are purchased. This phenomenon is not necessarily associated with compulsive gambling compulsive gambling or pathological gambling, a psychological disorder characterized by a persistent inability to resist the impulse to gamble. (people that mortgage their home in order to purchase large amounts of lottery tickets). A person with one Lotto ticket can have these fantasy symptoms as strong as someone with 1,000 tickets. Butterworth believes that if people really look at their Lotto wishes they will discover that many things in one's life can be improved without the addition of large sums of money. "Failure to win the lottery is just an excuse for many people not to do anything to change their life," said Butterworth. The psychologist is not against the lottery or purchasing Lotto tickets, as long as people remember the odds! A lottery player is in trouble when: 1. A player spends more than $20 a month on the lottery. 2. A player becomes depressed when he does not win. 3. A player has to sacrifice buying other purchases in order to buy lottery tickets. 4. A lottery player finds himself frequently daydreaming about what he will do with future winnings. 5. When playing the lottery is no longer fun but serious business. |
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