2/16/2005
I was in a local convenience store tonight buying milk for my two little girls when I overheard an interesting conversation. I had just gotten into the checkout line to pay for the milk when I overheard two older gentlemen who were chatting nearby while in the process of buying scratch-off tickets.
One said to the other, “I used to buy these things for fun, but now I’m just addicted to them.” The one went on to say, “it’s been bad lately because I haven’t won ANYTHING in the past month.” The other gentleman grunted sympathetically.
The first gentleman droned on regarding all the money he was spending, and the fact that he wasn’t getting anything back. I was so tempted to ask the guy if he had ever heard the rule, “the house always wins”? I held my tongue, paid for the milk, and went home.
But listening to this guy discuss his lottery/scratch-off addiction reminded me of yet another conversation I heard last week while paying for coffee (my preferred addiction) at a local gas station. The guy was collecting money from a winning scratch off, but was he happy? No! Instead, he was complaining about the fact that it was the first time he’d won in a while and he wasn’t even breaking even with this ticket. Ummm… Duhhhhhhh!
Repeat after me, “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS!”
In this case, the perhaps we can say something like, “the State House always wins.” Yes, your elected officials are, in effect, feeding off the poor to, in some cases, support the very poor they are trying to support with the funds they gain from state-run lotteries and scratch-off games.
Did you get that? I know… it’s confusing.
What’s more, in the state of Maryland, where I live, they are always coming up with new games for people to try, then spending tens of thousands (if not more) to advertise those new games. Do you think they are spending huge sums to advertise just for fun? Of course not, they’ll reap MILLIONS in profits. All of which, of course, is above and beyond the normal tax revenues they collect.
Well, in some sort of harmonic convergence, I was browsing through the Washington Post Online and I found this article, “Gambling’s Man.” Here is an excerpt:
Over the course of a year, more than 17 billion — that’s right, billion — scratch tickets will be stamped out in this plant, enough to girdle the globe at the equator 44 times. About 70 percent of all the cards sold in this country are designed and manufactured here, then sent to state lotteries, then to stores, where they are snapped up in droves that keep growing. Last year, we dropped $22 billion on scratch cards. That’s more than we spent on movie tickets and video games combined.
Apparently, we’re just getting warmed up. State lotteries say the sweet spot of this market is pricier cards with bigger jackpots — $10 and $20 cards and million-dollar payoffs are now common. Fifty-dollar scratch tickets will likely debut by the end of the year. Some of these games are designed to take 15 minutes to play.
Whoa! How exciting! Scratch, scratch, SCRATCH your way to addiction and depression! Bring the kids; it’s family fun!!!!
Meanwhile, companies like Scientific Games, which prints all those tickets, grows ever more sophisticated in their ability to take money from those who are, generally, the least able to afford it. On top of all that, here in Maryland, they are even working on a bill to legalize slots.
Well, since our state government wants us to gamble, I thought I would propose a new scratch game. You could say that it’s the “scratch game to end all scratch games.”
Each scratch game ticket would cost $100,000, with a one-in-five chance of winning. If you scratch and win, you get to take the seat of the state legislator in your district! Until another person scratches and wins, of course.
Think about all the money the state would rake in! And the beauty of this game is that, unlike other scratch games, which tend to be popular with those in lower income brackets, this game would only be accessible to those with large amounts of disposable income.
What do you think? Should I approach Scientific Games with the idea?
David Flanagan
Viewpointjournal.com
2 Comments
i think your idea is great–ive been addicted to scratch offs for about 2 years–why should all of us poor people have all the fun –let the rich fight and spend thier money to feel important–gambling is a major problem–why does the state think they have the right to contribute to the delinquency of older people spending thier hard earned money to support a state that already taxes us to death
Comment by bill rankin — 6/5/2005 @ 1:14 pm
I agree, its an ironic situation when the states take advantage of this kind of addiction.
Comment by Addiction — 3/12/2008 @ 8:54 am