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rich get richer

I can't be the only one who hates when rich people play the lottery.

And win.

Comments

Yep.

But, there's an inaccuracy in that story, I think. Even though his home state doesn't have state income tax, I'd be willing to bet he'll have to pay some kind of tax to DC where he bought the ticket.

I hate it even more when poor people spend the baby's milk money on this silly, improbable dream of winning the lottery.

I agree with mickie. I think rich people are the only ones who arguably have enough money to waste on lottery tickets.

The lottery provides false hope for the poor, and fosters the mentality that someone is going to come by on a white horse and rescue them.

There's an old joke about a man who prayed to God to let him win the lottery. God came to him in a vision and said "okay... I'll grant your wish." The lottery comes, and the man doesn't win, and the man angrily asks God why he didn't win. God responds "dude... you have to buy a freakin' ticket!"

The point is that people who put their hope in some magic cure for the problems are more likely to stop working to fix the problem.

Is it any surprise that the poor play the lottery so much? It rather stands out as an example of the very behavior that is keeping them poor in the first place.

You are right that is pretty lame, the guy's already a millionaire. WTF. Imagine what the 'average' person could do with 800 grand. Personally, I did not get a single number in the last drawing...

I hadn't thought of it before, but this inspires me to another way of shielding yourself from the mob of people wanting the $340 million: sell the ticket to someone rich enough to pay me (say) $34 million in cash. He turns in the ticket and nets $306 million and the publicity.

Yes, I buy an occasional lottery ticket, once it gets above $150 million; an infinitisimal chance is larger than a zero chance.

I think Congress may work under the same rules as the military - their income is earned in their home state for tax purposes, regardless of where they reside.

How do we know so many poor people play the lottery? Do we have statistics? Have studies been done? A cursory Google doesn't turn up much on the subject, and I, personally, have never been asked my household income when buying a ticket...

Most of the rich aren't dumb enough to play the lottery...that's part of the reason why they're rich.
My favorite part of the article was this, however:

"We'll take it all," he said.

Spoken by a Democrat, of course.

are you guys talking about the lottery? im not a Lib, but its all these wannbe political scientists people that make this country so damned divided. whys everything gotta be about dem/rep? lets just boycott the lottery!

Actually, a "cursory google" turns up plenty on the subject:

A study of lottery play among income classes in Maryland found that adults in the under $10,000 income group spent nearly three times more than those earning $50,000 or more. (In fact, twenty percent of players account for sixty-five percent of the total amounts wagered, and ten percent of players account for half.)

http://www.puaf.umd.edu/IPPP/Winter-Spring00/The_American_State_Lottery.htm

Lottery proponents often point to statistics that show that lottery play is usually very similar across income ranges, with lower middle-class respondents usually playing slightly more than those from other income groups. However, whatthey do not explore is the frequency of play and the types of games played. When these statistics are examined, one discovers thatdisadvantaged groups such as the poor and minorities are much morelikely to be very active lottery players.

http://www.cofc.edu/chrestomathy/vol2/tomlinson.pdf

Recent research by the Cincinnati Enquirer found that two-thirds of lottery ticket outlets in Cincinnati were in low-income neighborhoods, and that ticket sales were twice as brisk in the poorest neighborhoods as compared to the wealthiest. Moreover, nearly 60 percent of winners of $1,000 or more lived in areas with household incomes at or below the state average. These findings wreck the argument that lottery players buy their tickets in poorer urban areas as they commute to and from their wealthy suburban homes.

http://www.alabamapolicy.org/GTI/GTI-gambling-4.html

And that took me, oh, I dunno, about 45 seconds.

Bill, I owe you 45 seconds. Collect anytime.

Hey, Bill,here's another:

href=http://www.acton.org/ppolicy/comment/article.php?id=185

A recently released Gallup survey confirms the fears of many who oppose government-promoted gambling: the poorest among us are contributing much more to lottery revenues than those with higher incomes. The poll found that people who played the lottery with an income of less than $20,000 annually spent an average of $46 per month on lottery tickets. That comes out to more than $550 per year and it is nearly double the amount spent in any other income bracket. The significance of this is magnified when we look deeper into the figures. Those with annual incomes ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 had the second-highest average -- $24 per month, or $288 per year. A person making $20,000 spends three times as much on lottery tickets on average than does someone making $30,000. And keep in mind that these numbers represent average spending. For every one or two people who spend just a few bucks a year on lotteries, others spend thousands.
Please add another 30 seconds to your 45.

To quote the dealer that terrorizes Clark Griswold at the blackjack tables,

"Why don't you give me half the money you were going to bet, then we'll go out back, I'll kick you in the nuts and we'll call it a day!"

Playing the lottery's a sucker's bet, but it provides entertainment for the rich....and force's the poor to think they can get something for nothing.

What are you folks advocating here? A ban on the sale of lottery tickets for the poor?

I think that there have been far more "poor" winners than rich ones...back in California we used to joke about needing to be an illegal alien to win...

See you on the high ground!

MajorDad1984

I agree with you the way you view the issue. I remember Jack London once said everything positive has a negative side; It is also interesting to see different viewpoints & learn useful things in the discussion.