Against The Odds By Gloria Jimenez Analysis

Are the State Lottery’s Helping Education, or Hurting the Poor? In Gloria Jimenez’s essay Against the Odds, and against the Common Good, Jimenez states that “…most of the tickets are bought by people who don’t have much money, people who are near the bottom of the economic scale.” (Jimenez, Against the Odds…). This statement may seem like a stereotype to the lower-class of the United States, however, is there any merit behind such a claim? The answer is simple, yes! According to Journalistsresource.org, they presented a claim from 2010 by the Journal of Community Psychology stating that “…lottery outlets are often clustered in neighborhoods with large numbers of minorities, who are at greatest risk for developing gambling addictions.” (Journalists Resources). Jimenez points out that the states that participate in lotteries are using slogans that appeal to the poor. She mentions that one state in particular, Illinois, used a slogan in poor neighborhoods that said “This Could Be Your Ticket Out”. Slogans like these take advantage of the lower-class, and gives them that false hope that by spending their money on lottery tickets, they can strike it rich. States also like to point out that by purchasing these lottery tickets, schools are major benefactors of the program. Exactly how much do schools benefit from these lotteries, and …show more content…
(Stoppredgamb.org) This is an alarming statistic, and it shows that state lotteries are preying on the unfortunate. The people that are being exploited are usually less-educated, and from poorer areas. Illinois is said to get a large portion of their lottery earnings from poorer, less-educated neighborhoods. In North Carolina, the poorest counties make up for the largest lottery sales. (Stoppred) These aren’t the only states where the lower-class households are making up the majority of lottery