Lottery Critics
Lottery is an arrangement whereby people have a chance to win some money in exchange for the risk of losing it. It is a form of gambling, which is illegal in many countries. Although casting lots to determine fates and distributing goods has a long history in human culture, the lottery as a vehicle for material gains is of more recent origin. In the West, it is most often a state-sponsored affair. A state legislature establishes a state agency to run the lottery, or in some cases simply contracts out its operation. It begins operations with a modest number of relatively simple games and, due to constant pressure for additional revenues, gradually expands its scope.
As lottery operations develop, critics focus less on the general desirability of a lottery and more on specific features of its operation. They argue that lottery advertising is deceptive (promising much more than the odds of winning); that it inflates the value of winnings, because lottery jackpots are typically paid in annual installments over twenty years, and that inflation significantly erodes the current value of those payments; that state officials are addicted to the revenues generated by the lottery and ignore the need to address the problems associated with compulsive gamblers, its regressive impact on lower-income groups, and other aspects of its operation.
A lottery’s popularity in the immediate post-World War II period reflects its suitability as a revenue source for states seeking to expand their social safety nets without raising taxes, particularly on low- and middle-income taxpayers. But that trend is eroding as the state governments are finding that lottery revenues are not increasing at the rate they expected and are experimenting with other ways to increase their revenues, including keno and video poker.
Because the lottery is run as a business and has a primary function of maximizing revenue, it must advertise its products in a way that appeals to certain groups. But that necessarily means promoting the gambling activity, and with it, its negative consequences for poor people, problem gamblers, etc. Is that an appropriate function for a government to perform, even if it is the only way it can raise enough money to meet its expenses?
The most obvious argument against the lottery is that it teaches people that wealth comes from luck, rather than hard work. This is a dangerous lesson in an age when it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to gain wealth through honest hard work. The Bible teaches us that God wants us to gain riches by working hard and not through dishonest schemes, as Proverbs 23:5 reminds us. This is why the biblical prophets condemned the corrupt lottery system of their day. But despite the clear warnings in Scripture, lotteries persist, and they are a dangerous force in our world. They are a threat to the dignity of our fellow citizens and their hope for a better life. They also threaten to undermine our adherence to the Ten Commandments and the teaching of our faith that all people are created equal in God’s eyes.
