Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utcsri.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsri!clarke
From: clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Lotteries
Message-ID: <1250@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 10:00:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsri.1250
Posted: Fri Jul 12 10:00:51 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jul-85 10:24:57 EDT
References: <1121@ubc-cs.UUCP> <1110@mnetor.UUCP> <695@lsuc.UUCP> <1218@mnetor.UUCP> <702@lsuc.UUCP> <1243@utcsri.UUCP> <1268@mnetor.UUCP>
Reply-To: clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke)
Distribution: can
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 43
Summary: 

In article <1268@mnetor.UUCP> clewis@mnetor.UUCP (Chris Lewis) writes:
>In article <1243@utcsri.UUCP> clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke) writes:
>> A rational person who knows something about probability and has
>>alternative ways to improve his or her situation does not buy lottery tickets.

Well, not as a means of advancement, anyway.  Apologies to everyone who gets
a thrill out of spend a couple of bucks for a chance of becoming rich that
they know is worth much less than that.  (Sorry:  that sounds critical.  It's
not meant to.)

>Certainly, I would be somewhat annoyed if lottery revenue went into
>the general Government taxation pot....

Can't think why.

>No, lotteries aren't immoral - but the people who participate in them
>to the point of financial strain are sick (exactly the same as compulsive 
>gamblers (horse bettors etc.) similarly alcoholics) and should be treated.  

Well, yes, they're sick, but not in "exactly the same [way] as...".  The
cure for their disease is a better life and more money.  Most lottery-ticket
buyers -- and I believe the best surveys show this -- are people who aren't
very well off, have grungy jobs, and are middling desperate about their lives.
You're not a typical buyer.

>If you DO consider lotteries immoral for the reasons you specify, then, 
>following the same argument, alcohol should be considered immoral.  Same
>for horse betting.  As would card games and other such "vices".  Are you 
>a member of the WCTU or something?  I know Fred isn't.  

Horse betting isn't such a problem; I don't think very many people do that.
But, as you say, for these reasons alcohol should be considered immoral --
or at least making it should.  Sure, I like to drink a couple of beers or
a glasses of wine occasionally, and it's not immoral to sell to people like
you or me.  But lots of people's lives are ruined by the demon drink, and
I sure wouldn't want to be making my money that way.  The WCTU has a point.

Unfortunately, it seems you can't ban alcohol.  It's been tried, and people
just want it too much.  You can ban lotteries, at least to the extent that
ticket-buying goes way down, and it is even possible to ban it and have
relatively innocuous people running the illegal lotteries.  We had that
happy but precarious situation in the good old Irish Sweepstake days,
remember?  But I doubt that we can get it back.