Massachusetts Lottery Congratulates Itself for 40 Years of Failure

Massachusetts Lottery Congratulates Itself for 40 Years of Failure
stoppredatorygambling
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 9:59 PM EST

The Massachusetts Lottery is throwing itself a State House party to tout its 40th
anniversary even though it has been a failed public policy by nearly every
measure.

How has the Massachusetts Lottery failed over the past four decades?

It has transformed gambling from a private and local activity into the
public voice of state government, such that ever-increasing appeals to gamble,
and ever-expanding opportunities to gamble, now constitute the main ways that
state government communicates with us on a daily basis.

It has promoted the very economic attitudes and practices – short-term is
more important than sustainable, wealth can come from ever-growing debt,
something can come from nothing, slickness trumps honesty–that helped lead us to
the severe income inequality that plagues our state and our nation today.

It has failed to deliver on its over-hyped promises to fund education, lower taxes, or pay for needed public services (Lotterymoney only makes up 4% of total municipal spending statewide.)

It has become THE MOST PREDATORY BUSINESS IN THE STATE.

It has eroded our capacity as a people to honestly confront our reluctance
to pay taxes for the public services we desire.

It has taken dollars from the poor to fund programs for the better-off.

It has spread addiction among our citizens.

It has extracted 80 percent or more of its profits from 10 percent of its players, with those
high-volume players among our poorest and least educated citizens- (67% of frequent Mass Lottery players did not graduate from college.)

It has contributed to broken families and child neglect and other social problems and has taken
little or no responsibility to clean them up.

It has turned many law-abiding citizens into criminals who cheat, steal, and embezzle in order to continue to play the Lottery.

It has exempted itself from truth-in-advertising laws so that it can use taxpayer money to create
and spread deceptive advertising.

It has helped shrink the state’s middle class by luring people to lose their
money instead of promoting savings and asset-building.

According to the Lottery’s own 2010 marketing research, only 9% of the public agrees with
the statement that the Lottery improves the quality of life for the state’s citizens.

The Lottery is a failed policy. It’s time we phased it out.

Les Bernal