Controversy Over State Lottery’s New Game to Increase Jackpots
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.
- 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.
G. MERRILL LENOX, Claremont
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