Jackpot Nation

How much does our nation spend gambling every year? About as much as we spend on fast food, according to Richard Hoffer, in Jackpot Nation: Rambling and Gambling Across Our Landscape of Luck. From state lotteries to Indian casinos to online poker to charity raffles, he has quite a bit of ground to cover. Like Positively 5th Street, the author is himself a gambler, and injects his own story into the book. I found it interesting to learn about a world I would never want to experience firsthand--I just don't get the attraction. By the way, the odds on the state lottery are so long that not buying a ticket does not substantially reduce your chances of winning, so keep your eyes out for winning tickets lying on the ground.