Caught a bit on Channel 13 today about the advent of the $50 scratch ticket in Texas. Apparently the initial, stated objective was to target higher-income players but the result was that the usual suspect lower income players were the main purchasers.
State lotteries advertise in such a way to encourage irresponsible use of the lottery and almost seem to promote it as a solid wealth-generating strategy. There's already something seedy about the targeting of people without much financial education, but the added factor of gambling addiction makes me wonder if lotteries are much better than state-run pubs or even drug dispensaries.
Opponents quoted in the 13 piece also claimed that, in Texas at least, the money supposedly generated "for education" never actually increases education spending because an equivalent amount of revenue just gets taken out of education spending for other purposes.
The counter-argument is, of course, that people can spend their own money how they want and we can't stop people from making bad choices. While this argument sticks in my craw a little in the abstract, in reality I tend to think anyone I know who actually plays the lottery (including my own mom) is a little stupid for doing so.
― Hurting 2, Saturday, 16 February 2008 20:06 (eighteen years ago)
Whereas a game of skill like poker is outlawed.
― Mark C, Saturday, 16 February 2008 20:27 (eighteen years ago)
things that
― wanko ergo sum, Saturday, 16 February 2008 20:30 (eighteen years ago)
Pretty much every time I run across the street for milk there's at least one or two down-and-out looking people buying way too many tickets. It's a bit sad.
― Hurting 2, Saturday, 16 February 2008 20:31 (eighteen years ago)
Ban scratch games because they HOLD UP THE LINE. I'm not usually an apoplectic ragenik but when you're waiting in a line for 9 minutes to buy a six pack or a candy bar because some idiot is throwing his money away on this bullshit, it irks me.
― wanko ergo sum, Saturday, 16 February 2008 20:40 (eighteen years ago)
So true. And they always insist on asking loads of questions, which non-English speaking cashier will not be able to answer.
― fields of salmon, Saturday, 16 February 2008 21:41 (eighteen years ago)
And even if the cashier does speak English, he/she probably has an accent, and people who buy lots of scratch tickets are usually really bad at understanding English spoken with an accent.
― fields of salmon, Saturday, 16 February 2008 21:44 (eighteen years ago)
Yes, it is annoying how poor people and recent immigrants inconvenience us.
― Gavin, Saturday, 16 February 2008 21:59 (eighteen years ago)
I hate it when poor people buy alcohol or cigarettes. They should spend all their money on bread and milk for their babies.
― Pleasant Plains, Saturday, 16 February 2008 22:27 (eighteen years ago)
Their many, many babies.
― fields of salmon, Saturday, 16 February 2008 22:30 (eighteen years ago)
I won $500 on one of those $50 scratchers.
― milo z, Saturday, 16 February 2008 22:33 (eighteen years ago)
that's not an acceptable return for that risk.
― s1ocki, Saturday, 16 February 2008 22:38 (eighteen years ago)
milo can't hear you in his new solid gold house, s1ocki.
― Doctor Casino, Sunday, 17 February 2008 05:03 (eighteen years ago)
I'm still taking a rest in my bathtub full of pennies.
― milo z, Sunday, 17 February 2008 05:08 (eighteen years ago)
i prefer wasting my precious dollars at the racetrack, for I am descended from kings
― gershy, Sunday, 17 February 2008 05:49 (eighteen years ago)
-- Pleasant Plains, Saturday, February 16, 2008 5:27 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link
No, maybe the state should have a monopoly on alcohol and cigarette sales, market them to poor people and find ways of making them more addictive.
― Hurting 2, Sunday, 17 February 2008 17:18 (eighteen years ago)
http://web.mit.edu/ashuang/www/bblog_images/nh-i93-liquor-store-small.jpg
― Pleasant Plains, Sunday, 17 February 2008 18:11 (eighteen years ago)