The Better Path

Calculate the Guaranteed Wealth You're Losing

Opportunity Cost: What You're Really Paying

Every dollar spent on lottery tickets isn't just lost—it's double lost. You lose the money itself, plus all the growth that money could have generated over time.

The average American lottery player spends $206 per year on tickets (2026 data). Over a 40-year working life, that's $8,240 in direct losses. But the opportunity cost? Over $86,000 in guaranteed wealth.

The Millionaire Calculator

Enter how much you spend on lottery tickets per week. We'll show you what that money would become if invested in a simple S&P 500 index fund (historical average: 7% annual return after inflation).

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The Guaranteed Path to Wealth

This isn't theory. Compound interest is mathematically certain. The S&P 500 has delivered an average 10% annual return over the past 100 years (7% after inflation).

Your lottery tickets offer a 99.9999997% chance of total loss.

An index fund offers a 100% chance of growth over time.

Real Examples

The "Small Player"

$5/week on scratch-offs

  • 20 years = $27,360
  • 40 years = $105,540

That's a down payment on a house. Or a child's college fund.

The "Powerball Believer"

$20/week on tickets

  • 20 years = $109,440
  • 40 years = $422,160

That's nearly half a million dollars. Guaranteed retirement.

The "Addicted"

$50/week on multiple games

  • 20 years = $273,600
  • 40 years = $1,055,400

Literal millionaire status. From money you already have.

How to Start

  1. Open a brokerage account (Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab—all free)
  2. Set up automatic weekly transfers for the amount you'd spend on tickets
  3. Buy a low-cost S&P 500 index fund (like VOO or SPY)
  4. Never look at it. Let compound interest work.

This isn't get-rich-quick. It's get-rich-guaranteed. The math doesn't lie.