Demand for public games of chance was examined over a 24-year period, across various contexts of the prevailing gaming environment that included significant political and economic events. Lottery sales trends revealed devaluation of large jackpots beyond that due to inflation as they became more common, with the steepest discounting in the largest prizes. At the highest levels, jackpots continued to induce demand in games after they were claimed. The 2009 recession correlated with decreased demand for some gambling options but not for others; together with departures from matching between game odds and sales, this suggests that different games served different functions for their players. There was no evidence that public gambling baselines in Oregon were disrupted by the 2001 terrorist attacks. Despite several limitations, these data implicate behavioral influences, including habituation, induction, motivating operations, and matching within public gambling, consistent with the Behavioral Perspective Model of consumer choice.