The Lottery is a scam. It's just a tax on the poor.
How true this is. My family bought many lottery tickets in the past, and the winning numbers were almost always beside the numbers we bet. We won only a few times, but the winning amount was equivalent (or only a little bit higher) than the price of the lottery ticket. Maybe a very few people win the lottery, but most of the people lose.
And the statement above is also true for the casinos. The house always win in long term. And both of these things are ruining many families. This is a personal experience. My step-father (maybe my real father, but only a blood examination would tell) wasted a lot of money on lottery and in casinos. And on alcohol too.
He was very violent. Especially when he was drunk. He stole money from my mother. And once (when my mother questioned him about the disappeared money) he hit her in the head so hard that even the pillow on the bed became covered with blood. We often have not had enough food as a child. Sometimes a slice of cheese was the dinner.
Amongst other things, this is why we escaped from him. My mother did everything for us. She loved us more than anything. But we grew up without a loving father. Nowadays I live with my brother. Our mother died because of brain tumor (cancer) on 2017.12.17. Only one week before Christmas. She was 64 years old.
This is not a fiction, but my personal life experience.
Very good for those, who grew up in a loving family.
It is hard to lose a parent. It always seems so unfair when the pillars of our youth become old and then are gone. Christmas time just doubles the blow almost.
Your stepfather sounds like a bad one. I hope you never had any more contact with him through the years.
The house always wins, that is ultimately the truth. Unless you don't play their games!