Big Tech AI is coming for the lottery. Here’s why that’s bad news for players.
Scientific Games just hired a VP of Engineering from Facebook and Amazon to 'optimize' their lottery products using AI. If you think they're using AI to give you better odds, I have a bridge to sell you.
They're using the same algorithms that keep you scrolling on social media to keep you buying tickets. It's all about 'Time on Device.' They want to design games that hit that 'near-miss' dopamine spike just enough to make you reinvest.
Look at the numbers: A game like Lotto 6/49 gives back 75.1% without any fancy AI. Meanwhile, the $5 Mega Millions only returns 29.6%. The more 'advanced' and 'engaging' a game becomes, the more the math usually shifts against you. Stick to the boring games with the high returns and high Fairness scores. The 'fun' features are just there to hide the bad EV.
Posted Feb 26, 2026, 2:03 PM UTC