EDITORIAL STUPID GAMBLE.

DEPENDING on how a court rules, California's participation in the multistate Mega Millions lottery could come to an end Friday - resulting in a needless legal and bureaucratic mess.

In testament to Sacramento's dysfunctional political culture, the Schwarzenegger administration joined the game back in June, even though opponents argue that the state's Lottery Act doesn't permit authorization of multistate lotteries. So opponents sued to force California out of Mega Millions.

This is a controversy that never needed to be. With a two-thirds legislative majority, state leaders could have amended the Lottery Act and avoided legal troubles. Given Sacramento's perennial need for cash, it's hard to imagine that any such effort would have generated much opposition.

But Schwarzenegger powered ahead without seeking the Legislature's blessing. And while Sen. Dean Florez, D-Bakersfield, pushed a bill that would have authorized a multistate lottery, Schwarzenegger blocked it because it contained an extraneous ban on international contests.

Bad politics led to bad policy, and we'll soon know how much this foolish gamble will cost us.