Out of Luck

OUT OF LUCK is the first feature-length documentary film to closely examine the system of state lotteries in the United States. Over the past 50 years, lotteries have expanded to become the largest casino in America, raking in billions of dollars, with little or no oversight at the state or federal level. While repeated studies have shown that poor, under-educated and addicted players make up the overwhelming bulk of lottery profits, this government program continues its rapid expansion virtually unchecked. No other government program makes, promotes and sells an addictive product, but state legislators, looking for an easy fix to their budget woes - a way to raise money without cutting spending or raising taxes - continue to turn to lottery gambling. OUT OF LUCK meets lottery gamblers from across the country and learns their stories of struggle, and discusses the concept of the lottery with some of the nation's leading experts in history, politics, economics and entertainment. We learn about the true odds of lottery gambling, where the money is really going and whether it actually benefits education, the story behind predatory advertising, how lotteries increase their bottom line at all costs, who really plays the lottery and why the system of treating gamblers who have become addicted is a failure. We learn how lottery has changed many American values, including the "American Dream" and how two classes of citizens have arisen - the investor class and the lottery class. OUT OF LUCK is the most thorough study of state-operated lottery gambling ever put on film and finally asks the question that everyone has seemed to ignore: Is running a gambling system an appropriate way to raise money for government?