Whut we shutdown State Lottories

[Zorba]

Nanny state. The state knows best, and should strictly control your access to red meat, sugar, naughty internet sites, violent video games. Want to post in P&N? Better get approval from the Thought Police first.

I'm not a libertarian, but I agree with preferring personal freedom and self responsibility to a paternal state that controls us "for our own good."

Improve access to mental health care and addiction treatment, don't make everything illegal because some people will be self-harmed by it.

I'd agree, if you banned marketing. But billions upon billions are spent every year to convince people to not have personal responsibility. In the case of lottos, it is the states directly targeting poor people, to lower taxes on the rich, with funds that disproportionately help non-poor people.

I agree I don't think everything harmful should be banned, but I don't think it should be allowed to be marketed like it is the greatest thing in the world, either. Farther, most of the votes that approved the lottos were accompanied with a bunch of BS marketing and obfuscation. They never say that school funding from other sources will be cut, and that the average school district will only get 100K over 30 years.

 

[Zorba]

Right, so new lotteries will operate the same way they did before the states took it away from the criminals?

Before the lotto was legal in Oklahoma, I knew no one that played illegal lottos. I know some people who would buy tickets in other states, but no one that was playing with the mob.

 

[nickqt]

I'm implying it's exceedingly rare to win a jackpot in the millions.

Why imply when it's explicitly obvious?

Before the lotto was legal in Oklahoma, I knew no one that played illegal lottos. I know some people who would buy tickets in other states, but no one that was playing with the mob.

It's a good thing that the US is only comprised of Oklahoma.

 

[Zorba]

It's a good thing that the US is only comprised of Oklahoma.

You're the one claiming if the lottery went away, all of a sudden there would be a vast illegal lotto system to replace it. I'm sure there would be something, I highly doubt it would have anywhere near the participation.There are still seven states without legal lottos of any kind, how many of them have vast mob ran lottery systems?

 

[JSt0rm]

whut the fuck is going on in here.

 

[BUTCH1]

The removal of budget funding aside, the "poor tax" issue could largely be fixed by restructuring the prize structure of the winnings. Rather than stick with this asinine 1:270 million or whatever it is to win the single jackpot, we should do what the Spanish do and award hundreds of jackpots at smaller sums. Actually, a lot of states do have lotteries like this, with much smaller jackpots and much better odds of, at least, breaking even on your lack of winning. Problem is that Powerball and Mega Millions are excessively marketed as the only game in town (the largest national lotteries) and with absolutely unreasonable chances of winning anything.

I live in MD, which has Multi-Match. Minimum jackpot is $550k and goes up at 25 or 50k when no one wins, 2 draws per week. Someone usually wins every 2 or so weeks, sometimes it takes longer, but I haven't noticed it hit more than 1.2 million. So, there are frequent winners and I think it is up to 5 people can share winning tickets without splitting the pot. (so if Jackpot is $600k, up to 5 winners will each get $600k). But the best part is that the odds for various prizes are quite decent for a 2 dollar ticket, and winning $2 is about 1:8 I think. I haven't purchased one in a while, but after about 1.5 years at one point, buying 1 ticket per week, I was up about $30-40, lol.

Here in FL they stole from the 5,4,3 win pools to have at least a million dollar grand prize every week, your lucky to come away with $3K for a 5 number payout. I knew someone who, (prior to the pillaging) got $12K on a 5 number payout.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Question for everyone: What do you think was the reason for cigarette use going downhill so quickly?

I'm sure there are a number of factors - off the top of my head, the most significant would definitely be not allowing them to advertise (At least, not on TV and magazines if I recall?), second would definitely be taxes. There are also other factors like restaurants finally getting rid of "smoking vs. non-smoking" sections.

I would say one of the most significant was taxes as far as cigarettes - but to be fair, I don't know how that would work for lotteries, since ALL OF IT IS TAXES essentially. We could make a higher minimum to play and more of it going towards taxes, but ultimately I don't think that would help.

I'm just trying to connect ciggs to lotteries and see if there is a reasonable way to reduce playing from stupid poor people.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Question for everyone: What do you think was the reason for cigarette use going downhill so quickly?

I'm sure there are a number of factors - off the top of my head, the most significant would definitely be not allowing them to advertise (At least, not on TV and magazines if I recall?), second would definitely be taxes. There are also other factors like restaurants finally getting rid of "smoking vs. non-smoking" sections.

I would say one of the most significant was taxes as far as cigarettes - but to be fair, I don't know how that would work for lotteries, since ALL OF IT IS TAXES essentially. We could make a higher minimum to play and more of it going towards taxes, but ultimately I don't think that would help.

I'm just trying to connect ciggs to lotteries and see if there is a reasonable way to reduce playing from stupid poor people.

Cigarettes was a bunch of things more or less at once:
- Enough research showing they caused cancer to finally win out over the tobacco company research trying to sow doubt (like with climate change denial funded by coal and oil companies).
- Banning advertising on TV, and later government funding to the networks to run anti-smoking episodes of their programming (running such an episode exempted them from running some PSAs, so they could sell those minutes to advertisers instead)
- Mandatory "you're gonna die screaming!" notices on cigarette packs and print ads
- Much higher taxes
- Much tighter regulations on the sale of cigarettes, making it harder for minors to get them
- Removing cigarette vending machines ( " )
- Restricting where you can smoke

For lotteries, most of that doesn't apply. That's why I suggested education on managing finances, and better access to treatment for addiction and other mental health issues.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

For lotteries, most of that doesn't apply. That's why I suggested education on managing finances, and better access to treatment for addiction and other mental health issues.

I agree and disagree. I agree in the sense that... well... I agree... people are stupid with their money. So much so that it makes me shake my head. The amount spent on shitty beer, new TVs, lottery tickets, ciggs, etc... But You know whats sad? Part of me fears the concept that they stop that.

Citizen stupidity is one of our main products of our economy.

The fact that we have tons of retards that say "Oh man, my 47" TV isn't enough anymore, I need a 65" ASAP!!" is part of economy for sure. If people learn to stop being stupid... how will we survive?



I'm one of those that doesn't spend like that. I have age old TVs. I'll drive my 2006 Acura TSX till the wheels fall off. I'm 30 and nearly have our house paid off. I max out my 401k and my wife's ever year (along with 2x ROTH IRAs and an HSA)... Imagine if all of a sudden a lot more people started doing things like this. I don't think our economy could survive. In fact, I'm damn sure it couldn't.

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

Not the gov't place to regulate this sort of thing for the public good. There are a lot of things we need regulated, but this is not one of them IMO.

 

[EmmaJackson]

Yes, and you could make an argument that someone in subsidized housing could be (for example) required to attend simple money management classes to learn to handle their finances properly. If the people you see buying lottery tickets understood how they were sabotaging themselves at least some of them would stop.

That seems like a better solution to me than outlawing lotteries.

It's the same to me as the failed War on Drugs. Legalize, tax, regulate, and (the part states fail at) put enough money into addiction treatment to help those people with addictive personalities.

The rules should be implemented soon

 

[dawp]

just remember, it's more likely you will pull a flat worm out your ass than win the lottery.

 

[BUTCH1]

Here in FL the state is ever expanding it's lotto offerings, there are now THIRTY DOLLAR scratch off's and even "play 2" lotto games, (twice daily, $.50 to play). It's almost like Griswald from the "Vegas vacation" movie, "just pick any number" LOL.. Clearly they are preying upon those who can least afford to play.

 

[zinfamous]

just remember, it's more likely you will pull a flat worm out your ass than win the lottery.

that's....terrifyingly likely for a disturbing number of people, actually.

 

[Majes]

Citizen stupidity is one of our main products of our economy.

Exactly this!

I'd just leave it... The odds are published. It's basically a voluntary tax. There's also a segment of population that benefit from the hope it gives.

 

[mdram]

here in md the lottery is designated for school funding
you would have to increase taxes to offset the revenue

its for the children