I don't play the lottery. I would bet I haven't spent $50 on lottery tickets since Oklahoma set up the state lottery.
I know that many people in Oklahoma feel the lottery is a sin. That it is a "tax" on the underprivileged. I have even joked it is a tax on people who are bad at math.
Having said all that, I'm a supporter of the lottery. This morning's paper included another letter to the editor bashing the lottery and asking where all the money it was supposed to create for education has gone. The legislature spent valuable time this session saying children - who ultimately benefit from the proceeds of the lottery - can't be used in commercials to promote the lottery.
I will agree the lottery has not created the revenue stream it was projected to create. In fact it has fallen far short of expectations. Were we sold a bill of goods from the governor's office and from lottery supporters when it was proposed - maybe. But the simple fact in all of this is it HAS GENERATED ADDITIONAL REVENUE for education. We can argue about whether it has generated $10 million or a $100 million, but you can't argue it has created additional revenue for education.
While virtually every part of state government took a cut in funding this legislative session - including a 2.9% cut for common education, whatever money education got from the lottery was money they wouldn't have had if the lottery didn't exist.
Those that want to argue the pros and cons of having a lottery need to look for a new argument than the one about "where's the money." We can all be disappointed the revenue isn't what was projected, but it is still more than what we had before.
If you don't like the lottery, don't play. I said earlier I don't play much because my wife doesn't like it. Not on from a morality perspective, but from a good use of money perspective. No one makes you play the lottery.
Those who continue to bash the lottery solely on the basis of how much money it has generated are being extremely short-sighted. They're the folks who can't see the forest for the trees.
