I bought a lottery ticket today, but not in Quito. That nonetheless recalled this scene.

This was snapped on the Calle Sucre, in the Centro Historico of Ecuador’s capital in April 2015. Lottery ticket vendors were prolific then, but their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years.

A 2021 study found that lottery ticket sellers, like most street hawkers in Ecuador’s informal sector, earned between $10-20 per day.

Quito, Ecuador, April 2015.