It's better than government lotteries, not worse. Expected value of $1 spent on power for my Bitaxe Gamma is almost $1. Expected value of a $2 Powerball ticket with today's $150 million jackpot is about… 50 cents. (Assuming you don't have to split the jackpot when you win.)

Of course, I'm not including the cost of the Bitaxe itself. But, as you can see, that evens out after not too many "tickets".