Neuronarrative

...when people criticize gamblers (casual ones, not addicts) for making poor financial decisions. (Economists love to do this; they can't fathom why anyone would engage in activity with an expected monetary loss.) It's simple: casual gambling, such as playing the lotto or the nickel slots once or twice a year, is not an exercise in financial optimization. It's spending money to have fun, just like going to the movies or a ball game. And there's nothing irrational about that.