[Torie]

I can't think of one single principled reason why government is in the business of hawking lottery tickets. Not one, nada, nothing. It simple is a scheme to induce the relatively poor to part with their money. It is close to being, dare I say it, EVIL.

[Clinging Bitterly]

> It is close to being, dare I say it, EVIL.

Ditto that & everything else you said. Hereabouts, there are plenty of folks with gambling problems. I'll bet there is more kid's milk money (and entire paychecks) blown on video poker & megabucks or powerball than there is paid out in winnings.

Did I say I'll bet?
Well maybe I should have chosen another word.

I dunno, there are plenty of reasons that I rarely play government sponsored lottery games, and the least of them is that I don't get a real charge out of gambling. If I were a gambler, though, the odds are better at the Indian casinos and I think that's where I'd go.

Even the state games with more smaller prizes are a better bet than the lotto. Here in Oregon, the 50 cent pull tab games are the best. The top payout is $50.00 or $100.00, but you are more likely to win. They pay out an honest 50%, and the price is affordable like penny ante poker with the neighbors.

Everyone has their own threshold of guilt, I suppose, but I can do that without taking food out of the kids' mouths, so I don't think God has a problem with it.

Dave in Eugene

[College Repub]

That it is. But it gets them to pay for the services that mainly help THEM. So good for that.