Someone winning more than $1 billion makes a great front-page headline (“$1.35 billion lottery ticket sold in Maine,” Jan. 15), but we do not need more billionaires!

Basically, this is greed on display. The states love it because they have come to depend on the income and the higher the number, the more tickets are sold. Does the average lottery ticket buyer really need $1 billion? How about just $50 million? Is that no longer appealing? Is it no longer enough?

The chances of anyone winning $1.35 billion are incredibly slim. (But obviously it happens!) But why not max out a winners’ take? That lottery could have been 27 $50 million winners. Twenty-seven happy winners instead of one.

I am not against the Mega Millions lottery and think I could be quite happy with $50 million, but it really astounds me how many people start buying extra tickets as the number rises. You would think that stories of the stress and grief that often come with the big payouts would make people think twice. But no, I guess people who complain about the “obscene” wealth of the Musks and Gateses and Buffetts of the world feel OK about billionaires – as long as they can be part of the group.

Personally, I think states should rethink the lottery, which is getting out of hand. Have smaller amounts (I laugh at my own description of $50 million!) with many more winners.

We really don’t need more billionaires in the world!

William Whelan
Brunswick

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