Are you in favor of the lottery for your state?

[scottie]

According to this site, 2009 marked the 20 year anniversary of the Idaho Lottery. In those 20 years it's paid Idaho businesses $108 million in earned retailer commissions and $437 million to Idaho Public Schools and the Permanent Building Fund.

There are seven states that do not participate in lotteries: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.

I voted A, but I'm also somewhat in the E camp. Is there a requirement that joining an interstate lottery association also means the state has to also allow Indian reservation gambling?

[Moliere]

I consider it a voluntary tax that I never elect to pay. I'm not really in favor of it, but I'm not against it. My only issue with it is that (from what I can remember) the poor tend to buy quite a bit of the lottery tickets. So in essence it is kind of a voluntary regressive tax.

[NorthShoreCoug]

It is one thing for a state to allow people to gamble, but for the state to be in a position to have a vested interest in getting people to gamble, and to therefore advertise gambling - is very wrong, IMO.

[old_gregg]

What's the tax rate on a lottery ticket?

[PaloAltoCougar]

Within the first few days after California started its lottery back in the early '80s, I was next in line at a 7-11 and a young, poorly dressed woman holding a baby that I presume was hers, was counting out coins, mainly dimes, nickels and pennies, to produce one dollar so she could buy a lottery ticket. That image has stayed with me ever since and makes me grieve still. As they say, the lottery is a tax on the mathematically challenged.

On the other hand, the current jackpot is over $120 Million, so with only 40 Million-to-1 odds and applying simply decision-tree analysis I'm all in with my three bucks.

[Brian]

"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess? " Joshua

And having never played myself, my daughter will get a very healthy college scholarship. Thank you very much, stupid people.


As an aside, Freakonomics had a piece on Prize Linked Savings, that sounds pretty interesting. It's a savings account with 0% interest. However, every dollar you deposit buys you a ticket to a lottery-like pay out of the interest on the pool of money. An incentive to get people to save money. I could certainly get behind this, but there seems to be a lot of opposition from the monopoly that controls lotteries.

[Paperback Writer]

Need to also consider if neighboring states have a lottery. Especially, if a state has high population density to a neighboring state so it's quick and easy to cross the border to buy lottery tickets. Might as well keep the gambling proceeds in-state.

The catch is that if a state sets lottery proceeds as a vital part of it's budget then it will have problems when lottery sales dwindle. Once a lottery is initiated, it will be popular and bring in a new source of revenue. However, this popularity will wear off and lottery proceeds will fall and that could cause budgetary issues.

Similar logic was used in my community when it voted to not be dry any longer. The community has grown substantially and with it a somewhat different demographic. Rather than people taking a 15 minute drive to buy their beer in a neighboring city, the city voted to allow alcohol sales to keep the tax revenue local. Kind of upset those who settled here but it has helped the city whither the current economic crisis.

[BlueHair]

I consider it a voluntary tax that I never elect to pay. I'm not really in favor of it, but I'm not against it. My only issue with it is that (from what I can remember) the poor tend to buy quite a bit of the lottery tickets. So in essence it is kind of a voluntary regressive tax.

I think of it the same way. Although, I do buy a ticket when I visit a lottery state. Kind of like how I drink Ginger Ale on airplanes and nowhere else.