In the United States, lotteries generate more than $100 billion a year in revenue. They’re wildly popular among American adults. And, for the most part, they’re a pretty good way for state governments to raise money without raising taxes or cutting social safety net programs.

But there’s a dark underbelly to lotteries—and it’s not just the fact that they encourage irrational gambling behavior. In many cases, people play because they believe that winning the lottery will change their lives for the better. They’re convinced that it’s their last, best, or only chance.

The casting of lots for decisions and fates has a long history in human culture, including several examples in the Bible, but public lotteries have only recently emerged as a way to award material wealth. The first recorded public lotteries to distribute prize money were held in the Low Countries in the 15th century, and town records in Ghent, Utrecht, and Bruges show that they were used to raise funds for town fortifications and help the poor.

Today’s lotteries are run as businesses with a focus on maximizing revenues. Their advertising aims to persuade people to spend their hard-earned cash on tickets. And while a certain percentage of lottery winners do enjoy life-changing benefits, for the vast majority, winning is an exercise in self-delusion.