I've never heard of people who play the lottery over anything else, though I guess some people get obsessed with it and gamble with blinders on, being insistent and forgetting about anything else.
I know more gamblers who avoid the lottery because it's all low odds and no real skill.
Most of the people I know who do lotteries just do it with pocket change for a while until they decide on a better game. Even slots are better than a lottery.
I have actually seen a lot of them. There are people who choose lottery over family, career and gambling is definitely the least of them. Those who choose lottery over these things are optimistic about the future of winning and lottery being cheaper makes it quite easier for them to do.
I recently met a man that buys ticket on his way from work. In his words, hes been doing that for a couple of years and yet never won. His wife is not in support of this but he is still doing that believing a day would come that he will surprise her by winning big. This is a clear example of a man that have chosen lottery over family and career.