Paddy Power: How a Bookmaker from the Emerald Isle Accidentally Became a Global Barometer of Late-Stage Capitalism By Our Correspondent in the Cheap Seats, Thursday DUBLIN—If the world were a casino, Paddy Power would be the loudest, most unapologetic croupier, forever shouting the odds on everything from the next pope to the precise shade of…
The Global Gospel of the Scratch-and-Pray: Why the World Gambles on Six Magic Numbers By “Lucky” László Kovács, International Desk Somewhere between the refugee camp outside Cox’s Bazar and the air-conditioned lottery kiosks of Madrid’s Barajas Airport, the same slip of paper is doing the rounds: a lottery ticket, flimsy as a cease-fire promise and…
Pick 3: A Global Lottery in Miniature Where Hope Is Sold by the Thimbleful By Matteo “Numbers Never Lie” Bianchi, Dave’s Locker International Desk SINGAPORE—Somewhere between the 24-hour currency desks and the hawker stalls that never sleep, a tiny rectangle of paper changes hands for the price of a kopi-o. Three digits, one Singapore dollar,…
The World’s Most Democratic Tax on Hope By Our Correspondent, Somewhere Between the 7-Eleven and the Edge of Reason It was 8:03 p.m. in Madrid when Carlos, a civil servant who hasn’t seen a raise since fax machines were chic, forked over his last two euros for “El Gordo” Christmas tickets. Twelve time zones away,…
