It turns out that these are among the most faithful lottery supporters, but they'll have to make more trips to the convenience store to buy more tickets in order to be eligible for every additional drawing.
A News & Observer story illustrates the muddied thinking of the folks who willingly submit to this state-sponsored leech, citing the example of a woman who plays the same three numbers five times a day, six days a week. The woman makes about $75 a day as a babysitter and spends $90 a week on a game whose top payout is $500. She says she'll up that by an additional $30 when the new drawings become available.
"I'm just trying to hit some money," she told the N&O. "You know, I got three boys."
You know, she also has a very poor understanding of basic math. Despite spending more than 20 percent of her income on lottery tickets, she admits that she's never won the "Pick 3," and apparently doesn't realize that by simply saving the same amount of money she plans to spend on lottery tickets starting today, she'd have more than the top $500 prize every month to spend on her three boys -- $500 that is now used to fund exorbitant salaries to lottery executives and pay out winnings to the lucky few, while sending a much smaller amount than promised to support education in North Carolina.
The North Carolina lottery started amid a scandal that has yet to be resolved. A court case regarding the illegal means by which former (and now disgraced) speaker Jim Black rammed it through is heading for the state Supreme Court.
In the lottery, North Carolinians -- like those in every state that sponsors lottery style gambling -- have been sold a bill of goods, a "voluntary" tax that preys on its poorest and most gullible residents and passes itself off as an aid to education.
We certainly need better education. Some of our lawmakers need a remedial course in ethics, and those who spend their grocery money on lottery tickets need a basic course in math.
I doubt, however, that the North Carolina "Education" Lottery will be footing the bill for those programs.
[The graphic, believe it or not, is from the N.C. Lottery official site, where it warns of telephone solicitors and others who try to work an additional scam on top of the state lottery's official con game.]
3 comments:
Tony,
Thank you for your consistent biblical stance on the NC Lottery.
Regards,
Les
Fortunately, in Alabama, we defeated a lottery measure. While I was glad the measure was defeated, I was less than thrilled with the fact that the lotto's defeat was due, I think, in larger part to conservatives concerned more with defeating the evil of gambling than with anything to do with the economics of it.
Hopefully, Alabama's gotten the lotto bug out of its system. Hopefully. And if not and it comes up again, I hope rational heads prevail and it's defeated again.
Tony . . .
Great article.
The lottery is a tax. Yes, it's a tax on a voluntary activity, but all taxes are applied to transactions that are voluntary in nature.
After all, I don't have to have a job, own property, or buy a gallon of milk, but if I do any of those things, I will pay a tax on the transaction.
Same goes for buying a lottery ticket.
And, it gets even worse. The state's appeal is dishonest. To attract players, the state's advertising must highlight the possibility of winning. But winners don't pay for schools, losers do.
So, while glorifying the unlikely event of a big win, the state is really interested in creating, not winners, but losers, because it's the losers that pay the freight.
And that, friends, in almost any other endeavor, will get you a date with the district attorney.
It's a disgraceful way to raise revenue.
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