By Charles Passy
Adam Osmond gambled away a fortune on lottery games, but he eventually sought help
A whopping $950 million jackpot is at stake in Saturday’s Powerball drawing – but one former lottery addict has a cautionary tale.
The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $950 million, with the next drawing set for Saturday night. It’s far from the record jackpot territory of $2 billion, though it’s still one of the highest prize amounts to date.
But for Adam Osmond, any jackpot fervor only serves as a reminder of the dark side of lotteries.
Osmond, a Connecticut resident, gave up buying lottery tickets more than a decade ago after losing around $1 million on various games, including scratch-off cards and prize drawings. He told MarketWatch that his addiction cost him his business – he owned two gas stations – along with his home and nearly any semblance of a normal life.
“When you talk about hitting bottom, I hit the worst of bottom,” said Osmond, who sought treatment for his addiction. Today, he works as an accountant for Connecticut’s housing department and runs marathons and other races in his free time.
Adam Osmond lost about $1 million to a lottery addiction. He was able to recover by channeling his energy into running, he said.
Osmond’s story may be an extreme one, but it’s not entirely unique. Experts say that as state lotteries have surged in popularity – combined sales grew from around $59 billion in 2010 to $113 billion in 2023 – the number of Americans who are addicted to playing the games has also risen.
The problem is compounded when there’s a big jackpot, experts add. Such events inevitably result in lots of news coverage and feed the idea that playing the lottery is a fun, safe pastime. That’s in spite of the fact the odds of winning the top Powerball prize are 1 in 292,201,338, meaning you have a greater chance of becoming a movie star or being killed by a bee sting.
Enticed by the possibility, however remote, of winning that life-changing sum, some people will become hooked on playing the lottery, experts say. And those who are already addicted may find themselves driven to play more.
Overall, 2.5 million U.S. adults have a severe addiction to gambling, while another 5 million to 8 million have a mild or moderate problem, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Osmond’s story illustrates how addiction can spiral out of control. Born in Somalia, Osmond moved to the United States more than 35 years ago and attended college here. He began playing the lottery sporadically – “a dollar here or there,” he said – but when he went into the gas-station business, he was able to buy tickets quickly and easily at the stores he owned. That’s when his problems started.
Overall, 2.5 million U.S. adults have a severe addiction to gambling, while another 5 million to 8 million have a mild or moderate problem.
Osmond hit it big on more than one occasion, but that only fed his addiction. Around 15 years ago, he won $50,000. “I put the whole thing back” into more tickets, Osmond recalled. He lost it all.
Osmond credits running with saving him from his addiction. The sport is a way for him to channel his energy positively, he said. He has competed in more than 500 races and is currently training for next month’s Hartford Marathon. He is also the co-founder of the Run 169 Towns Society, which he said is the largest running group in Connecticut.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of lotteries, Osmond said, is their popularity among low-income people – those who can least afford to gamble. It’s a point that has been borne out by research, with one study noting that those who earn less than $10,000 annually spend an average of $597 (or about 6% of their income) on the lottery.
Ultimately, experts say, the problem is unlikely to go away, particularly because states are introducing more ways to play the lottery. Osmond considers himself fortunate in having been able to break the cycle of his lottery addiction. And it’s very much a cycle, he said: “Anytime you lose, you want to keep playing to get your money back.”
-Charles Passy
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08-29-25 1053ET
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