Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Our lottery a predatory business

Our lottery a predatory business

Dec 15, 2007 - 06:54:25 CST

By BRUCE BROOKS
Minot

In August, the North Dakota Lottery had a grand announcement. North Dakota Powerball players had won more than $60,000 in a previous drawing, a record for the state. The rest of the story, not publicized until now, is that North Dakota Powerball players also lost a record amount, more than $345,000, in the same drawing. (If you like to think in percentages, about 15 percent was won and about 85 percent was lost.)

Over the year from October 2006 to the end of September 2007 (12 months), a bit more than $12.3 million was spent on Powerball and Powerplay Lottery gambling in North Dakota. Of this, about $2.5 million was won, and about $9.7 million was lost. (That was about 79 percent lost and about 21 percent won by North Dakotans.)

The costs of running the Powerball Lottery in our state were about the same as the winnings, approximately $2.5 million for the same period.

The state did pick up about $3.7 million for itself, a small part of which was dedicated to helping people who suffer from problem gambling, an acknowledgment that the actions of the state are responsible for part of the problem that some citizens experience.

If people believe that gambling is an OK endeavor, they will probably be happy with the positive spin the state puts on this predatory enterprise, since it is a small contributor to the state's income.

But if they believe that gambling is a poor choice of entertainment and an extremely poor example of wise spending, this is an example of poor fiscal sense, a lack of fiscal responsibility and an enterprise that the state could permit but certainly should not promote.

By the way, if people are greed-driven, need more mindless entertainment and have even a simplistic sense of probability, they shouldn't play Powerball. They should throw away their money on one of the other lotteries available in the state. The odds are much better.

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Comments

oh my wrote on Dec 15, 2007 9:58 PM:

" Bruce, get a life........the lottery has done wonders for the great state of north dakota! Remember as Real Guy says "The lottery was approved by the people" "

Lost wrote on Dec 15, 2007 8:47 PM:

" To Bruce: It would appear that you want everybody to live as you do, or as you would like them too. The people voted on it, it passed enough said. I would like to add that other states stopped sales taxes or income taxes. When the lottery was started in there state. Our state did not. I think if they would of We would have more people playing. An elective tax, with a chance to win alot of cash. Although there seems to be alot of fraud goin on in our state right now, that is probably why we have seen no drop in the sales taxes, Our leaders are greedy, they want the money anyway they can get it. Pretty sad. "

Bruce wrote on Dec 15, 2007 6:45 PM:

" Nodakman's comment begs a reply. It is fairly obvious that several people cared about what was said in the article. The government's role is to protect its citizens, not to act as a predator. It may permit certain actions that provide the citizens a choice, but in the view of many it should not promote actions that carry the potential for harm through misuse. Using your logic, the state should be selling and promoting liquor and tobacco products, rather than simply permitting and licensing their sale. The harm done is to the generally accepted concept of the duties of the state. "

vetter wrote on Dec 15, 2007 5:09 PM:

" I agree with Nodak man, don't buy tickets if you choose not to. Nobody is forcing you. When it gets up there in the hundreds of millions, I buy a ticket or ten, I know I have better odds of getting struck by lightning laying in bed, but hey somebody always wins! I love it when 85 year old people win 250 million dollars, I don't care who you are that's funny. "

Bethel wrote on Dec 15, 2007 2:46 PM:

" I guess there is no such thing as a free lunch "

Nodakman wrote on Dec 15, 2007 1:06 PM:

" Bruce, you must assume that someone cares what you think. Freedoim allows people to do what they will as long as it doesn't harm others. You fail to mention in your article what harm you have suffered because of the lottery in North Dakota. "

Lost wrote on Dec 15, 2007 11:09 AM:

" Although it is report here that 3.7 million went to the state in reality. It mainly went to one office. Go look on the state auditors page for the Attorney Generals office audit. You will see that his expenxive have gone up for his office and very little of this money leaves there. Good story. "

Temptation wrote on Dec 15, 2007 11:09 AM:

" Any ND lottery is sick. It's even sicker that the state made a deal with the devil and various native tribes to allow casinos. It is a case of "money changers in the temple" of the first order. Caesar and the Sirens occupy the same house. As the kids say: Get it? Got it. Good. "

Real Guy wrote on Dec 15, 2007 10:05 AM:

" The lottery was approved by ND voters in 2002 with more than 60% of the vote....shall we say voters taxing the poor? "

ND not alone wrote on Dec 15, 2007 9:54 AM:

" I would say Montana has ND beat when it comes to being a "predatory lottery business" HELENA - Just more than 30,000 Montana Millionaire tickets remain to be sold before the Dec. 31 drawing. The Montana Lottery is selling 150,000 of the $20 tickets, with a grand prize of $1 million to be given away on New Year's Eve. Five $100,000 prizes and five $10,000 prizes will also be awarded. "

OK wrote on Dec 15, 2007 9:20 AM:

" To each their own I guess. I've yet to see the state of ND Lottery workers, retailers, officials, etc.. hold a gun to anyones head and force them to buy a lottery ticket. "

Agree wrote on Dec 15, 2007 7:14 AM:

" This just a way for the politicians to tax the poor. "

James S. Engstall wrote on Dec 15, 2007 4:45 AM:

" Trying to acquire wealth with little input has always been a sin it is called stealing. Once I tried to play the stock market, you know buy low and sell high. My late father was unimpressed and told me the only way I was going to make money was to work hard and earn it. He was right; I learned the hard way. I have never purchased a lottery ticket and never will. "

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