Controversy Over State Lottery’s New Game to Increase Jackpots
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Jack M. Tuell’s column (commentary, May 19) points out convincingly the damage being perpetrated upon California’s citizenry by the state lottery. We need to be reminded again that:
- The lottery is a regressive tax on the poor, often robbing families of the necessities of life.
- Schools obtain only a minuscule percentage of their budgets from lottery support.
- Promotional publicity for the lottery is misleading since it emphasizes the drama of winning, playing down the overwhelming odds against any windfall.
- Gambling itself embodies the principle of getting something for nothing--not a very commendable lesson for our youth.
The manner in which TV, radio and the press glamorize and promote the lottery is to be soundly condemned. True, a majority voted for it, mesmerized by a deceptive campaign financed by a lottery-equipment manufacturer, but it must be remembered that more than 40% of the electorate opposed it.
Tuell’s revelations should awaken Californians to the threat of the lottery to the moral foundations of their common life.
G. MERRILL LENOX, Claremont
