Lotteries in the United States

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…

The average state lottery has a jackpot odds of about 100,000,000 to 1 of winning, and I have always dreamed of being that one lucky winner. In life we all will experience some sort of event that will forever change us as a person and makes us see life differently. For me, winning the lottery is that life changing event I have always day dreamed happening to me. I believe a lot of good can come from such a change, however, with a change of this magnitude will also come some bad. Unfortunately,…

Just like what happened with New Jersey’s casinos, gambling on the lottery is no longer stigmatized because state governments have linked lotteries with various worthy causes, particularly education. Unfortunately, voters in several states have been misled about how the actual proceeds of the lottery are allocated. Some states simply distribute all of the lottery’s proceeds to the government’s general fund. Other states use sleight of hand tactics by continually reducing the education budget as…

Have you ever wanted the chance to win millions upon millions of dollars by buying one single ticket? All of your dreams could come true when you play the lottery. When you play the lottery you have the possibility to change not only your life, but the people 's lives around you. However what do you do when the state that you reside in does not have a lottery system? Welcome to the state of Mississippi where the casino system reigns supreme, and a statewide lottery system is for the most part an…

I recently watched a video clip on YouTube of Buffett describing how he won the “Ovarian Lottery” and I read a quote from his biography called the “The Snowball”. In his biography Buffett says, “I’ve had it so good in this world, you know. The odds were fifty-to-one against me being born in the United States in 1930. I won the lottery the day I emerged from the womb by being in the United States.” In my estimation I believe there 's a chance of one out of ten Americans to win the “Ovarian…

The Oregon State Lottery There are still many improvements to be made to America’s health care system, but it has improved tremendously since 2010 thanks to the Affordable Care Act. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of uninsured people living in America has significantly dropped from 15.4% in 2008 to 10.4% in 2014. As this data and the Oregon health lottery case demonstrate, health care in the United States was either inaccessible or too expensive for many Americans and still…

“The Lottery:” Submit or Scream According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, prior to World War II Adolf Hitler scapegoated Jews, gypsies, and homosexuals for the economic problems that were facing Germany (Untied States Holocaust Memorial Museum). During the Holocaust, many in Germany, Austria, Poland, France, the Netherlands, and even America turned a blind eye while these individuals were rounded up and murdered. It is all too easy to call this atrocity history as if…

In the article, “Promoting Lotteries”: Is it right to encourage gambling? by William Pride Lotteries became legal in the United States after 1964. Lotteries are a way of hope for low income families. Gambling lotteries are one of the common advertisements in the low- income community. Why do the states have gambling advertising around the low income communities? As you walk in the neighborhood you could see the advertising in the bodega windows and you also see posters of winners. Those posters…

considered better to create one’s own path in school, the workplace, or social life, than to fit the mold that one is given. There can arguably be benefits and downfalls to both perspectives, and such is argued in literature. The television series modeled after Philip K. Dick’s novel, The Man in the High Castle, highlights the importance of community through conflicts between several smaller communities. After the United States are split through an alternative ending to World War II, the…

time we wanted to continue to live in the USA, but we let the dream gradually burned in us. We also abandoned all efforts of keeping track of the changes in the entry status of Poland. One day, accidentally my husband heard that Poland became a part of eligible countries who could participate in the DV-2011 lottery again. Our first thoughts revealed revived dreams, however, after a few moments of refection, we concluded that there was no point in sending applications because so far our efforts…