Lottery Sales Dwindle

Your article was quite theatrical to read the statements and excuses expressed by the lottery director, Chon Gutierrez. One of the statements: “Gutierrez said it is hard to pinpoint the cause of the marked decline in sales but he said national ‘economic uncertainty’ and the Persian Gulf War must have played substantial roles.” Is Gutierrez trying to tell us that Saddam Hussein and his people couldn’t play the lottery because of the sanctions or that those 500,000 troops we sent to the Gulf were all from California and that all of them were die-hard lottery players? Nonsense.

Officials chased people away from playing the lottery by doubling the odds. There are many of us that play the lottery in groups and many of these groups (ours as well) have switched to play the lotteries from out of state. The lottery needs a new director and to return the odds to the original form.

DAN TRIFUNOVICH

Woodland Hills