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Comment on Lotteries: America's $70B Shame

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For me lotteries is one of the reason, I have grown skeptical of State.

1. They Lie, Lie about funding schools and lottery is the only way to do it.

2. Lie about the Prize money, the advertisements of lottery are untruthful and a private entity would be charged with fraud.

3. The practice of gaming the game, i.e. they try to make lotteries popular and sink a lot of money for advertising, they claim 50% goes for prizes but of the remaining 50% a lot goes to advertising than going to schools.

4. Taxing the winning, splitting the wins. Even if you win, you will be short-charged depending on the number of winners.

5. Exclude non-State entities from having their own lotteries, State monopoly.

6. Corporate tax cuts are pretty much common in states that aggressively promote lottery, lotto and video poker.

Even if it is entertainment, which it is not, Government should not be in it. I am not against lotteries, they need to competitive and have should have a level transparency, that is currently lacking since the law makers are the law breakers.

Even if it is entertainment, which it is not

Just because you don't find it entertaining does not mean it's not entertainment.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your other points, but gambling of all types is most certainly an entertainment product, regardless of its tendency to create addiction, etc.

I agree that government should step out of it and all gambling with published, vetted by an independent authority and fully transparent procedurally gambling models should be legal for private industry to pursue. Let government tax them like they do alcohol and tobacco.

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