?>=> esc_html__( 'Footer Widget Area - Left', 'neel' ), 'id' => 'neel-footer-widget-area-left', 'description' => esc_html__( 'Add widgets here.', 'neel' ), 'before_widget' => '', 'before_title' => '
'. wp_kses_post( wp_trim_words( get_the_excerpt(), $limit) ) .'
'; } } /** * Custom template tags for this theme. */ require get_template_directory() . '/inc/template-tags.php'; /** * Custom functions that act independently of the theme templates. */ require get_template_directory() . '/inc/extras.php'; /** * Default valudes for customizer options. */ require get_template_directory() . '/inc/defaults.php'; /** * Custom Header Addition. */ require get_template_directory() . '/inc/custom-header.php'; require get_template_directory() . '/inc/sanitize-functions.php'; require get_template_directory() . '/inc/customizer-functions.php'; /** * Customizer additions. */ require get_template_directory() . '/inc/customizer.php'; /** * Customizer Upgrade to Pro Section. */ require get_template_directory() . '/inc/upsell/class-customize.php'; ?>{"id":1058,"date":"2024-01-01T01:10:47","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T01:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woomibbq.com\/?p=1058"},"modified":"2024-01-01T01:10:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T01:10:47","slug":"the-dangers-of-playing-the-lottery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woomibbq.com\/the-dangers-of-playing-the-lottery\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Playing the Lottery"},"content":{"rendered":"Many people play the lottery every week, spending billions of dollars a year. They may think they\u2019re buying tickets for fun, but it\u2019s really an exercise in hope \u2013 the idea that one day the lottery jackpot will be so big that it will change their lives forever. But the truth is that it\u2019s an incredibly improbable way to get rich. And in most cases, even those who win the lottery end up going broke within a couple of years.<\/p>\n
The lottery is the most popular form of gambling in America, but it\u2019s important to understand exactly how it works and why it\u2019s so dangerous. It\u2019s not just that the odds of winning are extremely low, but that lottery players are being manipulated by a system designed to take advantage of their fears and irrational beliefs.<\/p>\n
There are many ways to win the lottery, but the biggest winner is often the state itself. Most states collect a percentage of the money that isn\u2019t won in ticket sales, and this money can be used for a variety of things, from funding gambling addiction treatment programs to helping people with disabilities buy cars or houses. It can also be put into the general fund to help pay for roadwork, police force, and other needs.<\/p>\n
This money has a lot of potential, but the problem is that most of it ends up being spent on things other than what was intended. The money also doesn\u2019t necessarily boost economic growth, but it can have a psychological effect on the economy. Those who win the lottery feel like they have to spend the money quickly or they will lose it, and this can lead to a lot of bad decisions.<\/p>\n
In the past, lotteries were used to finance private ventures and public projects. For example, the American colonies held private lotteries to raise money for the French and Indian War, and a lottery was instrumental in financing the construction of Princeton, Columbia, Yale, King\u2019s College (now Columbia), and the University of Pennsylvania. Public lotteries were not only a means of raising revenue, but they were seen as a means to stimulate economic development by encouraging voluntary taxation.<\/p>\n
Today, 44 states and the District of Columbia run lotteries. But six states don\u2019t allow anyone to buy tickets: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Utah, and Nevada \u2014 the latter two for religious reasons and the other four for financial reasons, including the fact that they already have gambling in their casinos.<\/p>\n
There are no easy answers when it comes to the lottery, but I\u2019ve always been puzzled by the message that it\u2019s okay to lose because the money goes to a good cause. The truth is that it doesn\u2019t, and studies have shown that the money from lottery tickets is disproportionately taken from poorer neighborhoods, as well as those with more low-income residents and minorities. That\u2019s not a great reason to promote the lottery, no matter what your political views are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many people play the lottery every week, spending billions of dollars a year. They may think they\u2019re buying tickets for fun, but it\u2019s really an exercise in hope \u2013 the idea that one day the lottery jackpot will be so big that it will change their lives forever. But the truth is that it\u2019s an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gambling"],"yoast_head":"\n
'; for($i=1; $i<=4; $i++ ){ $social_media_icon[$i] = get_theme_mod( 'neel_social_media_icon_'.$i, 'facebook-f' ); $social_media_url[$i] = get_theme_mod( 'neel_social_media_url_'.$i, '' ); //find the fontawesome icon class if( in_array( $social_media_icon[$i], $fas_elements ) ){ $icon_class[$i] = 'fas'; } else { $icon_class[$i] = 'fab'; } if ( '' !== $social_media_url[$i] ) : $social_media_icons_html .= '-
';
endif;
} //for loop end
$social_media_icons_html.= '