Ten Minutes: Scratch Tickets

One of the few things you can still buy for a dollar is a scratch ticket. The gambling underworld likes to keep the entry price low on bad bets. Still, I can’t think of a more enticing way to waste my money. A chance at becoming a millionaire for just a buck? I’ll spend more time dreaming about what I’d do with all that cash than I will scratching this thing. I only have to match one number? Sounds easy. They’re always so close, too, but they never match. Even when they do, it’s just for another free ticket. You know they’ve got you when breaking even feels like winning.