It serms incredible to me to give over a billion dollars to a random person.

  • fubo@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    State lotteries are in effect a tax on the uneducated; largely used to fund education.

    But part of the reason they exist is that, in their absence, people spontaneously come up with even worse forms of gambling, like the old numbers game that funds the expansion of organized crime.

    Most lottery players, especially scratch-ticket players, would be better off sticking that money under their mattresses or in credit-union accounts. However, again, when there are no gambling games around, people spontaneously invent them; abolishing state lotteries would not cause that money to go under mattresses or into credit unions.

    • Hegar@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      largely used to fund education

      Alas, nope.

      Many states have laws saying that for every lottery dollar that goes to education, a dollar comes out of the education budget. Usually lottery profits end up in a general fund, the whole education thing is a legislated smoke screen.

      The main function of state run lotteries is to take money away from organized criminals and give it to elected criminals instead.

      • DeepFriedDresden@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Gambling that is prohibited by local laws.

        Each state has its own restrictions and laws so really it depends on your location.

      • JJROKCZ@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Any gambling that isn’t regularly audited and controlled by the state. I work in the casino industry, I have sets of reports and evidence I have to run and provide to the state daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. Then every two years they get a room in our building to full audit everything again end comb through everything we do to make sure we comply with all of the hundreds of controls across the 25 chapters in our gaming control book. Anything not subjected to and complying with that is illegal.