Want to win the lottery? You're better off with blackjack

In these hard times, gambling and lottery revenues are up, with people putting their faith and a little bit of money toward these get-rich-quick schemes. While WalletPop in no way endorses gambling or playing the lottery, we were curious to find out what are the odds when putting some cash toward making money fast.

Anthony Curtis, the president of LasVegasAdvisor.com, the go-to site on the latest happenings and deals in Sin City, used to make a living as a card-counting genius, like the one dramatized in the movie 21. Curtis came to Las Vegas in 1979. He says that the competition today is immense, and he doesn't recommend being a professional poker player as a career path. "Where my serious money got made was in publishing," he says, citing the Las Vegas and gambling-interest books he regularly puts out.

So what odds does Curtis give for some of the world's favorite get-rich-quick pastimes?