Lotto blotto."South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. officially started its state lottery A game of chance operated by a state government. Generally a lottery offers a person the chance to win a prize in exchange for something of lesser value. Most lotteries offer a large cash prize, and the chance to win the cash prize is typically available for one dollar. yesterday, becoming the last state on the East Coast to add government-sponsored gambling," reported the Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. recently. And The Wall Street Journal reports that state-sponsored slot machines are now in use in nine states: Delaware, Iowa, Maine, New York Maine is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 5,459 at the 2000 census. The Town of Maine is on the western border of the county and is northwest of Binghamton. , Oregon, Oklahoma, Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. , South Dakota, and West Virginia. Pennsylvania will soon join them, and other states are considering the move. The Journal calls slots "one of the most popular and addictive forms of betting." If they are addictive, why are states sponsoring them? Because, observes Richard Leone, who was a member of the national gambling commission, they see the revenue they gain as a "free lunch." They think they are avoiding unpopular taxes, but in truth, the revenue produced by lotteries and slots is a tax--only as Leone also observes, it is a tax "more regressive than any." Lottery tickets are purchased and slots are played largely by people of modest means. For a state to advertise its lottery and slots is enticing people to spend money many of them cannot afford to lose. And, what may be worst of all, it lures potential addicts into becoming real ones. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion