In recent years there has been a substantial global increase in interest in the study of gambling. To some extent this has mirrored seismic changes in the way that betting and gaming markets worldwide are taxed and regulated. This has heightened interest in a wide range of issues related to this sector including its regulation, public policy and commercial strategy as well as the ideal structure of gambling taxes and devising optimal responses to environmental changes, such as the growth of online gambling. This volume, by bringing together the work of leading scholars, will cover the spectrum of such perspectives, as well as examining the efficiency of betting markets, to provide an assessment of developments and current understanding in the study of the economics of gambling. This timely collection will be an immensely valuable resource for academics, policy-makers, those commercially involved in the betting and gaming sectors as well as the interested layman.

With its huge jackpots and heartwarming rags-to-riches stories, the lottery has become the hope and dream of millions of Americans--and the fastest-growing source of state revenue. Despite its popularity, however, there remains much controversy over whether this is an appropriate business for state government and, if so, how the business should be conducted.

Since 1994, the UK's National Lottery has created 2,300 millionaires. Expensive cars, big houses and dream holidays are all top of the wish list for those ordinary people whose lives are changed with a winning lottery ticket. But what about buying a boob job for your sister, giving away holidays to children with cancer or hiring a private helicopter for the school prom? For the first time five winners share the details of their shopping sprees and the highs and lows of their lives once they became millionaires. We Won The Lottery also goes behind the scenes at the National Lottery to reveal funny facts, the luckiest numbers, the unusual purchases and exactly what happens when you win.