Jeremy

Used exactly the words in the title for many years... but people got genuinely offended once too often. Now just say that the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at maths...

Cheers, Mark

I agree entirely, and it is the hypocrisy of the politicians that annoys me the most. Here in the UK we have all sides of the house complaining about how bad gambling is and how it needs to be controlled, and even the recent reforms rolled back (they were Tony Blair's and Gordon Brown being a religious type is against gambling, as are the opposition).

Meanwhile the governments own gambling scheme - the national lottery - is promoted everywhere by them as being 'for good causes' (they use the money for schemes that would otherwise come out of tax revenue) and when they set it up they enacted legislation to reduce the allowable age for gambling on the lottery only to 16. Yes, schoolkids can gamble on the lottery!

Ray

I've often viewed state & government lotteries as a tax on the poor and middle class. Because the very wealthy obviously aren't furiously scratching off tickets or picking numbers, hoping to be lifted out of their mediocre existence.

So it's the poor & middle class who are funding the roads and other projects via this "tax on the poor"

Living in Massachusetts, the number of different scratch tickets available on a regular basis is ridiculous. There are easily 30-40 different types of scratch tickets (ranging from $1 up to $20 each)

And that's before you figure in Keno, MassCash, Megabucks, Daily Numbers, etc.

That being said, the governments see an easy way to cash in, and they're doing so. So can we blame them for profiting, or blame the people who gamble tons of money away every day or week, hoping to hit easy street?

It's kind of like the email spammers in a way. Do you get mad at the spammers, or mad at the idiots who are falling for the schemes, making it profitable for them to continue bombarding our inboxes?

I really don't mind if the government wants to have a lottery. The level of hypocrisy is sick though. Even sicker is how the state/government will never address that the lottery probably turns more people into gambling addicts than any other form of gambling in the world.

Originally Posted by Jeremy

Even sicker is how the state/government will never address that the lottery probably turns more people into gambling addicts than any other form of gambling in the world.

Well, that money is used for funding state projects, so that makes it ok!

Oy vey do we need less government.

When the lottery began here in the UK it was once a week on a Saturday night live on tv, this made people with little money spend an extra £1 or £2 a week...maybe no big deal.

I figure that once the powers that be saw how much they can actually make from this "good cause" they introduced more of it. Now there's daily play, mid week, thunderball, dream number scratch cards everywhere you go and more!!!

Now people on low incomes spend more on lotteries per week than ever by being progressively hooked and enticed gradually in to gambling every day.

Why didn't i think of it!!

Originally Posted by PokerNations

Well, that money is used for funding state projects, so that makes it ok!

Very true. Sad thing is, is that we are still getting taxed in other areas for state funded projects..... must be back up for when someone actually hits the jackpot....And another thing; I know here in Washington/Oregon (I live on the border near portland ) they advertise that it goes toward helping schools yet teachers still seem underpaid and you still hear about levies failing.

Originally Posted by PokerNations

Oy vey do we need less government.

Definitly~

State lottery in Germany pays out app. 40% in prizes, a big part of the rest goes into administrative costs (a big part of which are nice 6-figure yearly salaries for ex-politicians parked in comfy jobs as chairmen).
There is a simple description when you compare the govt's attitude vs gambling: double standards (or morale).

Originally Posted by Catfish

State lottery in Germany pays out app. 40% in prizes, a big part of the rest goes into administrative costs (a big part of which are nice 6-figure yearly salaries for ex-politicians parked in comfy jobs as chairmen).
There is a simple description when you compare the govt's attitude vs gambling: double standards (or morale).

Yup, they always have those "administrative fees" to put their friends into lucrative positions of wealth at the expense of the masses. Typical government.