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Because of greed, fear and ignorance. As soon as people understand the Buddha's teachings they realize that a pure heart can protect them much better than bits of paper, scraps of metal and a few chanted words and they no longer rely on such things. In the teachings of the Buddha, it is honesty, kindness, understanding, patience, forgiveness, generosity, loyalty and other good qualities that truly protect you and give you true prosperity.

I know a person who makes a good living selling lucky charms. He claims that his charms can give good luck, prosperity and he guarantees that you will be able to predict winning lottery numbers. But if what he says is true then why isn't he himself a millionaire? If his lucky charms really work, then why doesn't he win the lottery week after week? The only luck he has is that there are people silly enough to buy his magic charms.

The dictionary defines luck as 'believing that whatever happens, either good or bad, to a person in the course of events is due to chance, fate or fortune.' The Buddha denied this belief completely. Everything that happens has a specific cause or causes and there must be some relationship between the cause and the effect. Becoming sick, for example, has specific causes. One must come into contact with germs and one's body must be weak enough for the germs to establish themselves. There is a definite relationship between the cause (germs and a weakened body) and the effect (sickness) because we know that germs attack the organisms and give rise to sickness. But no relationship can be found between wearing a piece of paper with words written on it and being rich or passing examinations. Buddhism teaches that whatever happens does so because of a cause or causes and not due to luck, chance or fate. People who are interested in luck are always trying to get something - usually more money and wealth. The Buddha teaches us that it is far more important to develop our hearts and minds. He said:

‘Honoring one’s mother and father, cherishing one’s wife and child, being straightforward in one’s business, this is the best good luck. Being generous, just, helping your relatives andbeing blameless in one's actions;this is the best good luck.To refrain from evil and from strong drink and to be always steadfast in virtue;this is the best good luck.Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude andhearing the good Dhamma;this is the best good luck.’ Sn.262-6