👉Communicative area: speaking about the advantages and disadvantages of lotteries
👉Active vocabulary: generous, to raise money, records, to record, a fund, to take a break from the rat race
Discuss the questions in pairs.
1. What is a lottery?
2. What lotteries are popular in Belarus?
3. Why do people play lotteries?
4. Have you ever played one?
5. Have you ever won anything?
6. What is a jackpot?
7. What will you do if you win the jackpot?
Choose the right follow-up for the sentences.
1. When did people start playing lotteries?
2. How much money do people spend on lotteries in the USA?
3. What is the largest jackpot?
4. What is the most popular way of spending lottery money?
Lotteries
The first recorded lotteries date back to 187 BC. They were
held in China to fund major government projects like the Great
Wall of China. The first European lotteries were held during
the Roman Empire, mainly at dinner parties, where guests were
given presents. The first lottery offering tickets for sale was the
lottery organised by Roman Emperor Augustus. The funds were
used for repairs in the City of Rome. The first recorded lotteries to offer tickets for sale
with prizes in the form of money were held in the modern day Netherlands in the 15th century. Various towns held
public lotteries to raise money for town fortifications
(укрепления) and to help the poor. The English
word lottery comes from the Dutch noun “lot” meaning “fate”
(судьба).
Nowadays lotteries are popular in many countries. For
example, Americans spend more on the lottery than any other
form of entertainment. In 2014 they spent 70.1 billion dollars on
lottery tickets, while only 63 billion dollars was spent on sports
tickets, books, video games, movie tickets, and recorded music
combined.
The largest jackpot win with one ticket was $590.5 million
in America’s Powerball, won by Gloria MacKenzie, Florida in
2013. The largest unclaimed prize was from the Euro Millions
draw (розыгрыш) in 2012. The ticket was worth
£63,837,543. The average lottery winner buys new cars for
either themselves or friends and family.
After winning the lottery, one of
the first things most lottery winners
do is take a break from the rat race and
go on holiday! According to the survey
results, 75% of lotto winners upgrade
their apartments to more spacious
private homes, while 24% buy property
(недвижимость) abroad.
Even though a multi-million dollar lotto win gives people
financial independence, many choose to continue working.
According to statistics, 15% of lottery winners find a better
job, while 45% open their own businesses.
On the downside, many winners lose their money because
they spend it on expensive things they can’t afford or because
they are too generous and give away their money to relatives
and friends. In spite of their generosity, 90% of lottery winners
lose friends. This is really just due to the fact that you cannot
please everyone. Almost half of all online lottery winners lose
every single cent within 5 years of the event. So even if you win
a lottery, you should deal with your money wisely.
1. What do you think of lotteries? Is it a good idea to rely on
lotteries to earn money?
2. Do you think some people are luckier
than others? Do you think winning a lottery depends on how
lucky you are?
3. Why do lottery winners want to take a break
from the rat race?
4. Should there be any age limit for playing a
lottery?
5. What’s the best way to spend the money raised with
the help of lotteries (e.g. help the poor or fund city projects)?
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