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From: clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Lotteries
Message-ID: <1254@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Jul-85 10:13:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsri.1254
Posted: Mon Jul 15 10:13:11 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 10:41:54 EDT
References: <15740@watmath.UUCP>
Reply-To: clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke)
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 40
Summary: 

In article <15740@watmath.UUCP> cjbiggin@watmath.UUCP (Colin Biggin) writes:
>>
>>Most PEOPLE "aren't very well off, have grungy jobs, and are middling
>>desperate about their lives. The unanswered question is: are such people
>>more or less likely to buy lottery tickets (which they probably can't
>>afford) than are people who are well off or are happy with their jobs
>>or lives?
>
>Perhaps the reason they buy lottery tickets is to become well off, quit
>their grungy job, and become hopeful and positive about their lives.

Of course!  My point is that that's NOT a reasonable way to improve your
life, and (perhaps I didn't say this clearly) most people don't know
enough about probability to know this.

>I personally buy about one lottery-type ticket about once every two
>months.  It's usually when the pot in 6/49 goes to 6 or 7 million.
>I don't get any pangs of guilt when I buy it.  I don't think it's
>immoral either.  I seem to remember always having church raffles
>around Christmas time.  Not to mention that churches in this country
>also run most of the bingo games....

Maybe I also didn't say clearly:  I don't think it's immoral to gamble,
drink or smoke, as long as you're not hurting someone else by doing it.
I doubt that anyone who has commented on this issue hurts anyone else
by buying lottery tickets at the levels being mentioned, unless there
are programmers/computer scientists out there being paid at surprisingly
low rates.

Not everything churches do is right.  (Let's not get into *that* argument!)
Also, not all churches run raffles and bingo games.  Example: the United Church.
The UC won't even accept government help for its projects, if the money
comes from lotteries.  Sounds a little on the hyper-pure side, but I think
they're right.

>To the poor and destitute of this country (which is far fewer than
>most other countries) lotteries might provide the only hope of a 
>better existence. 

Today's "opiate of the masses"?  Maybe that's why the churches like them.