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Controversy Over State Lottery’s New Game to Increase Jackpots

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Jack M. Tuell’s column (commentary, May 19) points out convincingly the damage being perpetrated upon California’s citizenry by the state lottery. We need to be reminded again that:

- The lottery is a regressive tax on the poor, often robbing families of the necessities of life.

- Schools obtain only a minuscule percentage of their budgets from lottery support.

- Promotional publicity for the lottery is misleading since it emphasizes the drama of winning, playing down the overwhelming odds against any windfall.

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- Gambling itself embodies the principle of getting something for nothing--not a very commendable lesson for our youth.

The manner in which TV, radio and the press glamorize and promote the lottery is to be soundly condemned. True, a majority voted for it, mesmerized by a deceptive campaign financed by a lottery-equipment manufacturer, but it must be remembered that more than 40% of the electorate opposed it.

Tuell’s revelations should awaken Californians to the threat of the lottery to the moral foundations of their common life.

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G. MERRILL LENOX, Claremont

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