(NEXSTAR) – Despite the abysmal odds, America's love affair with the lottery continues – especially in one state.

In fact, the latest data shows a jump in how much Americans are spending on a chance to win big, with a handful of states well above the national average – including Massachusetts, a major outlier – a new report from LendingTree shows.

Outside of the five states that don't have a game – Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah – the average American spent $320 on lottery tickets annually in 2023, according to the latest available data. That was up 3.6% from $309 the year before, according to LendingTree.

The numbers are averages, of course, and while a 2016 Gallup poll found that roughly half of Americans said they bought a lottery ticket in the past year, the majority only

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