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BamaRider
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I don’t know. What say y’all?
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ribozyme
Guest
I suppose hedge fund managers will be taxed less than a person’s prize when they win the jackpot of a lottery.
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Newbie2
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I don’t see them as much different than any other form of legalized gambling; when you you lose your money at a casino or if it goes to the state and gets you-know-whatted away (let’s just say wasted), it’s not much different.
I do have some moral issues with heavy advertising targeted at low-income folks, though.
I do have some moral issues with heavy advertising targeted at low-income folks, though.
Great post.
Exactly what I was thinking.
I don’t mind gambling, but it always seems that those that can ill afford the loss the most are hit the most often.
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NewUlm1976_2000
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Yes and No. Many lotteries around here help support the state Department of Natural Resources, so it is a moral end to the profits. All gambling of course can be abused moving it away from being “morally correct”. Lotteries are a tool in life and the morality depends on what part of it you are looking at.
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Joe_Kelley
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I read and article someplace that I think was by George
Bernard Shaw stating that state sponsored gambling is immoral. His reasoning was that the richer party has the advantage in gambling - The house always wins. Since the state is infinitely rich relative to the individual citizen, the game is fixed in favor of the state.
On a more practical level I agree with those who have said it is immoral because it targets the poor - and uneducated. I have always regarded lotteries as a tax on stupidity. When California first started the lottery my boss noted that his family had bought $20 worth of tickets and won $7. He wondered what they should do now. I told him to quit while he was ahead. He noted that he was $13 behind. I assured him that was as close to being ahead as he would ever get.
Bernard Shaw stating that state sponsored gambling is immoral. His reasoning was that the richer party has the advantage in gambling - The house always wins. Since the state is infinitely rich relative to the individual citizen, the game is fixed in favor of the state.
On a more practical level I agree with those who have said it is immoral because it targets the poor - and uneducated. I have always regarded lotteries as a tax on stupidity. When California first started the lottery my boss noted that his family had bought $20 worth of tickets and won $7. He wondered what they should do now. I told him to quit while he was ahead. He noted that he was $13 behind. I assured him that was as close to being ahead as he would ever get.
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thistle
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The official Church teaching:
CCC 2413 Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant.
CCC 2413 Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant.
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wapsi
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Iowa briefly sponsored a lottery which was played on machines very similar to slot machines - in side by side comparisons it was difficult to tell the two apart. These lottery machines could be found in a great number of bars, convenience stores and even grocery stores and often the establishment would provide a stool for persons to play over and over.
A newspaper story revealed that those lottery machines paid roughly (I don’t remember the exact statistics) 67 cents for every dollar spent. In contrast, the slot machines in the casinos (Iowa has a few) paid roughly 93 cents for every dollar spent. Logic would tell a person to just wait to go to the casino, but the lottery machines were a big hit.
A lottery, like any gambling, is okay in moderation. It probably isn’t a great way to raise revenue, but a lottery is more popular than raising taxes.
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aimee
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Ours support college bound students with scholarship money
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royal_archer
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Loteries are a tax on stupidity or maybe a tax on hope.
I know this may get me kicked off the board or struck by lightning but here goes: I periodically put a single dollar down on the lottery for religious reasons. If God wants to perform a mirracle and make me a millionaire I have to do my part to give him the opportunity right?
One lottery ticket = 4 games of pinball but it lasts longer. Having the lottery ticket in had gives a chance of reflection of what I would do with the money. How much would I give to the church? Could I pay off the building fund? What difference could I make in peoples lives? Could I make more of a possitive impact by investing in a buisness? etc. Also, the innevitable confirmation that God does not intend for me to get rich quick is a comfort in dealing with the drudgery of my daily work life.
I know this may get me kicked off the board or struck by lightning but here goes: I periodically put a single dollar down on the lottery for religious reasons. If God wants to perform a mirracle and make me a millionaire I have to do my part to give him the opportunity right?
One lottery ticket = 4 games of pinball but it lasts longer. Having the lottery ticket in had gives a chance of reflection of what I would do with the money. How much would I give to the church? Could I pay off the building fund? What difference could I make in peoples lives? Could I make more of a possitive impact by investing in a buisness? etc. Also, the innevitable confirmation that God does not intend for me to get rich quick is a comfort in dealing with the drudgery of my daily work life.
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ribozyme
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The money is not enough to buy Larry Ellison’s house or his yacht simply by winning the lottery.Loteries are a tax on stupidity or maybe a tax on hope.
I know this may get me kicked off the board or struck by lightning but here goes: I periodically put a single dollar down on the lottery for religious reasons. If God wants to perform a mirracle and make me a millionaire I have to do my part to give him the opportunity right?
One lottery ticket = 4 games of pinball but it lasts longer. Having the lottery ticket in had gives a chance of reflection of what I would do with the money. How much would I give to the church? Could I pay off the building fund? What difference could I make in peoples lives? Could I make more of a possitive impact by investing in a buisness? etc. Also, the innevitable confirmation that God does not intend for me to get rich quick is a comfort in dealing with the drudgery of my daily work life.
If I had money, I’d use it to promote liberalism and Rawlsian values. Soros used his money to promote the values of Karl Popper, and I respect that.
People do not start businesses to make a positive impact. It is better to gamble away money on a certain hedge fund manager than games of chance. I remember reading that 10% returns in the average return for a hedge fund in 2007.
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royal_archer
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You poor sad person I hope that someday you will meet the same type of people I have had the privallige of meeting Maybe you will see that many will do good for the sake of doing good, even at the expense of profit.
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Newbie2
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Reminds me of “Fiddler on the Roof” where the main character (I can’t remember his name) says about wealth, “May the Lord strike me with it and may I never recover!”If God wants to perform a mirracle and make me a millionaire I have to do my part to give him the opportunity right?
One lottery ticket = 4 games of pinball but it lasts longer. Having the lottery ticket in had gives a chance of reflection of what I would do with the money. How much would I give to the church? Could I pay off the building fund? What difference could I make in peoples lives? Could I make more of a possitive impact by investing in a buisness? etc. Also, the innevitable confirmation that God does not intend for me to get rich quick is a comfort in dealing with the drudgery of my daily work life.
Good idea about lasting longer. I see a lottery ticket as entertainment; we spend between 5 and7 bux on a movie that lasts 2 hours. The “fantasies” about what to do with multi-millions can last several days, and it only costs a buck.
Ribo…I disagree. Some people do start business to make a positive impact. I know a couple people who did. This obsession with Soros is not healthy…
What people do you know?
Perhaps this explains a lot of the views I have seen you aspouse on other areas of this forum.
You need to associate with better people.
Almost every business owner I know started off because they wanted to make a positive impact.
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drafdog
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Lotteries are fund raising devices which seek (name removed by moderator)ut from voluntary sources. Because it is voluntary, it is not immoral. You don’t have to pay into the fund unless you want to pay.
Many parishes have Las Vegas nights, too.
Matthew
Many parishes have Las Vegas nights, too.
Matthew
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Ridgerunner
Guest
I’m with Mark Twain, who said “There are only two times when a person shouldn’t gamble; The first is when he can’t afford it, and the second is when he can.”
Neverthless, while I consider it unwise in the extreme, I don’t consider it immoral per se.
I do have a problem with the government getting involved in it. First, it’s a tacit admission that the people would never voluntarily suppor whatever the gambling is supposed to support. If not, why are we doing it at all? Second, it casts an aura of government approval over something that can be very destructive to some individuals. Third, many Americans do consider gambling immoral per se, and I do not think the government has any business involving itself in any non-essential activity that a substantial segment of the population views as immoral. I would feel the same way if the government sold whiskey. I’m not opposed to drinking, but a lot of people are. It’s “in your face” disrespectful to do that.
As a previous poster said, the house always wins. When you see the size of some of the lottery prizes, the amount of money people spend on it must be absolutely staggering.
Neverthless, while I consider it unwise in the extreme, I don’t consider it immoral per se.
I do have a problem with the government getting involved in it. First, it’s a tacit admission that the people would never voluntarily suppor whatever the gambling is supposed to support. If not, why are we doing it at all? Second, it casts an aura of government approval over something that can be very destructive to some individuals. Third, many Americans do consider gambling immoral per se, and I do not think the government has any business involving itself in any non-essential activity that a substantial segment of the population views as immoral. I would feel the same way if the government sold whiskey. I’m not opposed to drinking, but a lot of people are. It’s “in your face” disrespectful to do that.
As a previous poster said, the house always wins. When you see the size of some of the lottery prizes, the amount of money people spend on it must be absolutely staggering.
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didymus
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And of course, if the casino operators had asked for permission to put their slot machines in convenience stores, groceries, &c there would have been outrage.
As for the payouts, it’s the same here in NY. The illegal numbers game distributes 85-90% of receipts as prizes, the state-run Lotto, 50%.
I can’t say that state-sponsored lotteries are immoral but I’d much prefer that lotteries were legalised, licensed & run as private enterprises. And, as others have said, the advertising is despicable.
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peary
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**No. It preys on the poor who are the ones who spend what they have in the hopes of getting a better life by winning money, which is a false hope. It affects one personally, and affects the family in negative ways. **
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royal_archer
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Not that I completely disagree but…
Is hope a bad thing? Do you mean false or irrational hope?
What about two year colleges that promise great jobs if you attend their courses?
If an individual can not make a rational decision about purchasing lottery tickets are they incapable of making competant decisions in other aspects of their life? at what point do you deem such people to incompetent and appoint a guardian for them? If they do not have a guardian then should it be assumed that they are capable for making such decisions for themselves?
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