Lotteries create
poverty. Is this what you want your state government to be doing?
States advertise
lotteries aggressively in poor areas. New York says, “Hey, you never know.” California
says, “Imagine what a buck could do!” Slogans like these encourage people to
treat lotteries as investments, not entertainment. To provide the funds, poor people
cut necessities.
The chances of
winning the recent $759 million jackpot were only 1-in-292 million – not exactly
a sure bet. On average, one dollar spent on lottery tickets returns a lousy 52
cents, worse than the returns of private gambling companies.
State
governments rake in nearly $70 billion a year from lotteries, supposedly for
education. Baloney! The money has no strings attached and can go wherever the
legislators please. Lotteries are regressive taxes.
Governments
spend billions on nutrition and housing programs. But lotteries encourage the
poor to cut these same necessities.
Lotteries are an
immoral tax on the poor. They trigger gambling addictions and breed poverty.
They’re abominable!
Sent to many papers. Published
by the Concord Monitor around September 22, 2017.
