LCD (Lotto Compulsive Disorder)
IN the US, many states spend millions of dollars annually to fund treatment program for those suffering from LCD (Lotto Compulsive Disorder). Yes, the lotto has become a health hazard for avid bettors who spend sleepless nights conjuring various numerical combinations, wasting precious time lining up at lotto outlets, and manifesting ritualistic behavior bordering on superstition or fatalism.
By abetting the proliferation of various forms of lottery, our government has unwittingly spawned the same affliction among many Filipinos who now prioritize it over other activities, always hoping against hope to realize their dream of living better, happy, and contented lives.
Recently, it was announced that a tricycle driver from Borongan, Samar, and a male nurse from Legazpi City won the lotto jackpot. They each brought home 470 million pesos. For sure, their identities will remain one of the best kept secrets of the Phlippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Come to think of it, have you ever met a lotto jackpot winner? Given the talkative nature of Filipinos, and with the speed and geographic extent with which chismis spreads through the Internet, it is amazing that the social media is silent about lotto jackpot winners. Also, TV and broadcast journalists report on even the least news-worthy incident in our country, but none has so far made a serious study about the jackpot winners in past lotto draws.
In other countries, jackpot winners are prominently featured in television, newspapers, and the Internet. The largest jackpot in the United Kingdom lottery (161 million pounds) was won by Colin and Chris Weir in 2011. In 2013, Gloria McKenzie was the lone winner in the $590.5 million lottery in Florida. Leonard Peters of Calgary collected $6.1 million after his numbers were drawn in the Lotto 6/49 draw last September. In the Philippines, only the winners of the measly consolation prizes are known, often by word of mouth.
The PCSO contends that the identity of jackpot winners must be kept secret to prevent prying relatives and criminal elements from terrorizing them. That’s a lame excuse, considering that the extensive media exposure of jackpot winners in other countries has not endangered their lives. For sure, they also have relatives, and are certainly at risk of being kidnapped and robbed.
No wonder, many Filipinos suspect that by maintaining the policy of strict confidentiality, the government actually admits that, while encouraging people to join these betting games, it is powerless to protect the winners. Many also suspect that the only winner of every lotto jackpot in our country is the government itself, sharing its loot with the franchise owners and media marketing moguls who seduce people to join the growing number of Filipinos suffering from LCD.
The government justifies the amoeba-like multiplication of lotto outlets by saying that the profits are supposedly intended for pro-poor social welfare projects. However, despite billions of weekly earnings, why is our social welfare system in miserable condition? Why can’t the government just help the poor, instead of selling them hope without any guarantee of fulfillment?
Perhaps a little reality check will jolt lotto devotees out of their addiction. Yes, winning the lotto can give us access to the better things in life but will not miraculously turn us into happier and better persons. If we think winning the lottery is a precondition for happiness, we shall waste most of our lives waiting. Truth is, if we do not know how to be happy with the little that we have now, we won’t be happy millionaires either.
Yes, winning the lotto can give us access to the better things in life but will not miraculously turn us into happier and better person.