US lottery ticket sales

Between 2005 and 2022, the US dog treat market and lottery ticket sales grew together at a correlation of 0.97, which tells us something about the American relationship with hope. Both products promise a reward that is statistically unlikely to materialize in the way you imagined. The dog, at least, is certain to receive a treat. The lottery ticket holder has only probability, which is a colder kind of comfort.

The US dog treat and chew market grew from roughly $2 billion in 2005 to over $6 billion by 2022, driven by pet humanization trends, premiumization of pet products, and growth in the overall pet industry. US lottery sales grew from about $47 billion in 2005 to over $100 billion by 2022, boosted by multi-state jackpot games, digital lottery platforms, and expanded state programs. Both markets are driven by discretionary spending and emotional reward-seeking, and both benefit from growing household incomes and expanding consumer bases.

People buy lottery tickets and dog treats for similar psychological reasons: the anticipation of a small, controllable joy in an uncontrollable world. The correlation is not spurious so much as it is a portrait of optimism, one species at a time.