When someone wins the lottery, it can change their lives forever. But how exactly does it do that? In this week’s episode of Here’s Your Prompt, we explore what happens when people win the big bucks. We take a look at their relationships with family, friends and coworkers—and whether winning the money makes them happy.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, state lotteries grew in popularity as a way to raise capital for public projects. They were especially useful during the early years of the American colonies, as banking and taxation systems grew slowly. Lotteries provided a quick and cheap source of funding for everything from roads to prisons to schools, and even famous Americans like Thomas Jefferson used them to pay off his debts and Benjamin Franklin to buy a battery of cannons for Philadelphia.

Today, the lottery is a popular form of gambling that’s operated by most states. But it’s not without controversy. Supporters tout it as an efficient and relatively painless revenue-raiser, especially during times of fiscal stress, when the prospect of tax increases or cutbacks in public programs is a real concern.

Opponents argue that it’s a dishonest and unseemly form of taxation, and that the money spent on tickets is often not well spent. And they point out that the odds of winning are very slim—statistically, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning or becoming a billionaire than you do of winning the lottery.