OT - Lotto

[randystewart]

$235 Mil up for grabs on Wednesday and our State will not even let us have a chance at it. Anyone else find it odd that we allow casinos but draw the line at Lotto?

http://www.powerball.com/powerball/pb_map.asp

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

The lottery is just a tax on people who can't do math.

I think it's odd, too, but I guess gaming is limited in location, whereas lotto would be at every gas station across the state.

 

[randystewart]

The lottery is just a tax on people who can't do math.

While I don't disagree with that, it is also how most states supplement funding for education (including college scholarships).

 

[horshack.sixpack]

While I don't disagree with that, it is also how most states supplement funding for education (including college scholarships).

You may be too young to remember, but the casinos were pushed in with the promise of the tax money being used for education, similar to what Georgia does for in state students. You see how well that worked out...

 

[57stratdawg]

I wish I had the opportunity to drive up to a location and decide if I wanted to participate in all taxes**

 

[natchezdawg]

It's a tax on the poor. I've always seen it as the only way to..

get them to pay their fair share.

 

[WrapItDog]

Refresh my memory. Didn't we vote yes in the early 90s to allow a lottery and ended up with Riverboat Gambling instead. They were saying vote for this and everybody gets free college and new schools.

 

[patdog]

We never voted on a lottery or gambling. Gambling on the river and coast was approved in a special session of the legislature. At the time, operators were starting to have gambling cruises from the coast where you would get on board the boat, it would cruise out to international waters, then anchor for a few hours while everyone gambled, then return. This was seen as a way to regulate and tax what was already occurring. The special session was called pretty suddenly and the opposition never had time to get itself organized.

 

[LawDawg97]

Mississippians voted in 1992 to amend the state Constitution to allow a lottery, but the Legislature still has to enact one. Just hasn't ever been much support for it among that group. When gaming was legalized, lotteries weren't as big as they are now so there was more support for casinos. Gaming on the river and coastal counties barely passed the legislature when it did, so a statewide lottery would have been a bigger stretch.

 

[RebChuck]

The ole bait 'n switch. I recall gaming being sold to help fund education. Unfortunately the powers decided to replace the current funding with the new gaming windfall and use the funds that were going to education elsewhere.

You have to watch politicians. They are very hard to pin down and hold accountable.

 

[johnson86-1]

Unfortunately the powers decided to replace the current funding with the new gaming windfall and use the funds that were going to education elsewhere.

That's not exactly true. A lot of gambling revenues is cannabalized from other activities the state would receive money from. So people that were spending disposable (and often times non-disposable) money on things that generated sales tax revenue instead spent disposable money on gambling. It's not a free lunch. The only way to ensure that gambling revenues would go to education would be to earmark it for spending that wouldn't take place otherwise (such as something equivalent to the Hope Scholarship), but that would leave a huge hole in the budget that would have to be filled somehow. Had casino revenues been designated for a scholarship program, then spending on education overall would have likely increased, but it probably would have resulted in less money being spent on elementary and high school education, as I doubt they could have replaced all the tax revenues that was suddenly designated for college scholarships.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Tunica County is a great example of how having a lot of money doesn't solve the problem. They have brand new, huge schools and facilities and test scores are still horrific. You have to have good leadership. They have none.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

I think it's dumb not to play occasionally

It's four quarters. And my 1:173,000,000 chance is infinitely better than someone who doesn't play.

Plus it's fun to think about winning. I'm not talking the folks who buy 20 tickets a day, but one every now and then is well worth the dollar here or there.

 

[seshomoru]

If I happen to be in Memphis or Florida, I'll buy a few if it's over $100mil.

Anything less than that really wouldn't have that much of an impact on my current situation.*************************************************************************
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[MadDawg.sixpack]

What a stupid statement.

 

[AgDawg]

You have to have good leadership. They have none.

or Parents...

 

[johnson86-1]

Not really. A powerball ticket can offer a positive return when the jackpot gets big enough. It depends on what assumptions you use about how many people by tickets, but I think it turns positive somewhere around the $300M mark.

If you get enjoyment out the anticipation of hte drawing and thinking about winning, dropping a few dollars on tickets when the jackpot gets big is not a terrible way to entertain yourself.