Labour Supply Effects of Winning a Lottery

Abstract

Our article investigates how winning a substantial lottery prize affects labour supply. Analysing data from Dutch State Lottery winners, we find that winning a lottery prize reduces labour earnings in the year of the winning, as well as in the years after the winning. This suggests that winning a lottery prize makes one work fewer hours. The effects are small but statistically significant. We do not find a significant effect of lottery prizes on the probability of being employed.