Don't much care for them either, as you have probably gleaned.
The "purchased winning ticket" analogy is spot on... people are basically paying to be in the winner's circle, regardless of whether they belong there, or not. It's buying your way out of uncertainty... which, of course, people have been doing for a long time.
In some sense, we're battling history here. Whenever a "reward" is in the offing, we immediately attract a horde of "money for nothing seekers" who will basically "do whatever" to extract benefit for themselves.