I understand why some people turn to the lottery as a way to try to recoup their losses, but I personally don't see the appeal of the lottery. The odds are just too slim to justify spending money on tickets. I'd rather focus on other forms of gambling where I have a better chance of winning, even if the potential payout might not be as great, or just save my money and invest it in something with a better return on investment. It's all a matter of gambler's personal preference.
As for free lottery tickets, of course, who doesn't love them? It's like a little gift that gives you a chance to try your luck without having to spend any money. But they should never be seen as a way to recover losses from other forms of gambling.
I think the difference is that you do not gamble a lot, and you have to wait for it as well. It is not there to recoup losses, but it has cheap tickets usually and it means that you get to gamble anyway you would like to and that's a good thing. I personally feel like spending 500 satoshi on some tickets and waiting for a week is a good deal, you do not gamble more and all you lose is 500 satoshi which is nothing and you can do that only a week later so you have time.
In other games, you can keep on gambling one after the other and can lose so much so quickly, here you do not at least have that. So, this is a "side bet" that you have and not the main course but it is better to have some tickets just in case if a miracle happens and you win.