People Earning Less Than $13,000 spend 9% Of Income On?

The real issue with the lottery is that only the states can have them.

I remember being in 3rd grade and doing my own raffle and getting in trouble. I was slated to make some real money, too bad you cannot legally sell chances for profit.

In regards to people spending their money on the lottery, I just assumed it was a punishment for not being good at math. They put lots of buildings in Cripple Creek and Blackhawk so the mathematically ignorant can gather in large numbers, even spend the weekend (as if they knew how long a weekend was).

It is regressive by nature, because we know on average rich people are smarter than poor people and refrain, but it is not a tax, it is a government monopoly of something that is in high demand.

Good point. Trying to get a license for a raffle fo afundraisr is a nightmare.

Try finding a place to live where you don't need a license to do most of the things you do. That's even harder.

They mostly go for education... I realize that's not good enough for you... But them's the cold hard facts...

If you are happy with your government allowing the poorest among us to pollute their lungs, pollute the air around others with their second-hand smoke, add to their medical problems, and spend even more of their money on cigarettes than lottery tickets, then continue to support cigarette sales....

on that note wrote: Try finding a place to live where you don't need a license to do most of the things you do. That's even harder.

You make the assumption that everyone follows the laws of the land; lots of folks do what they please and ignore the laws. It's all good until they get caught, however our legal system is poised to defend these people as being ignorant of the laws and therefore not guilty or guilty but only to some lesser, plea bargained charge.

More to the original point of the post, I would have guessed that folks in that demographic would be buying orange or grape Kool Aid, KFC, and dope. I might not be completely wrong.

FredHayek wrote: 50% of the ticket price goes to the state. When I am in Vegas they only want 10% per sports bet. If you are happy with your government doing this to the poorest among us continue to support state lotteries.

Good point. If the poor are going to throw their income away on the hope of winning a lottery that has odds that are worse than getting killed by space junk let them. It explains a lot about how Barry got re-elected; hope for more and accept what the Gubment hands out, never mind that we will be equally poor as a nation.

I studied the demographics of the Illinois lottery back in the mid 80s.

Most of the tickets were sold in low income regions inside Chicago.

The revenue went to building colleges --- which generally served middle and upper income students.

Here in Colorado - the lottery funds parks and recreation facilities ---- again --- something generally enjoyed by middle and upper income individuals.

I happen to enjoy the parks in - say Aspen. However, it's kind of perverse when you realize it's being paid for by folks from Sunnyside.

BB, great point. Just like people who drive Volvos and earn 100+K a year get subsidized NPR and PBS while the poor are paying $100 monthly cable bills to watch TV like 2 And A Half Men.

Since when did somebody tap you on the head and appoint you the budget-monitor for what other people spend their money on?

I think we should ban all forms of tobacco... That will save them even more money. If you are happy with your government allowing the poorest among us to pollute their lungs, pollute the air around others with their second-hand smoke, add to their medical problems, and spend even more of their money on cigarettes than lottery tickets, then continue to support cigarette sales....

I'm still waiting for an answer... Since when did it become your f**king business what people spend their money on? I know some pretty stupid, poor morons who spend their money on ammo, freeze-dried food, and survival gear (and raccoon-tails & Confederate bumper-stickers) instead of what *I* think they should be spending it on...