Letter to the editor:

National lottery could generate big revenue

Peter Vitale, Las Vegas

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008 | 2:01 a.m.

I agree with Al Lasso’s Dec. 15 letter to the editor, headlined “It’s time for a lottery to help fund education.” I, too, have an idea about a lottery but in a much broader sense and for a different reason.

About 130 million people voted in this past election. What if we had a nationwide lottery? Here’s how it would work.

A lottery ticket would cost $1. Let’s say, just for numbers, 100 million registered voters (you would have to be a registered voter) entered the lottery. The lottery would be every week and the winner would receive $1 million. One winning ticket, $1 million.

There would be a guaranteed winner every week. You could buy as many tickets as you wish, but there would be no picking of numbers — each ticket would have a bar code. After you purchase the ticket, it would be scanned and entered into the contest for that week.

I know there will be legalities and logistics to work out, but maybe the tickets could be purchased at any post office or grocery store during the week, with Friday being the deadline to purchase tickets.

The winning ticket numbers could be scrolled at the bottom of the screen on all networks during prime time on Sunday. On Monday a new contest would begin again. I’m sure there are at least 100 million registered voters who would spend one dollar a week for a chance to win

$1 million.

Let’s say there’s a net profit of

$4 billion. The revenue would be used only to help fund Social Security and Medicare. Of course you’d need a “keeper of the key” to make sure the money goes where it is supposed to go, not to be touched, dipped into or borrowed.

With all of our money going to bailouts, let’s get something for our buck. Maybe $1 million, who knows?

Discussion: 2 comments so far…

By uddeboda

12/31/08 at 2:42 a.m.

Suggest removal

You have the same idea as they have in the UK, with a National Lottery.
The problem as I see it in the UK, the majority of people who play the lottery are the lower paid workers, HOPING to win something, of course only a minute number of people do win. The surplus in the UK system is used for all sorts of things, from sport, art, etc etc, but not as you mention schooling, medicare etc.

So if you buy one or ten tickets a week, basically its just another "tax" you are giving the government.
By casinokid

12/31/08 at 6:49 a.m.

Suggest removal

How about it funding National Health care something that all people would get the benifit of instead of a chosing few, And yes this is a Tax How ever it is a free tax not one that is inposed but a volunteered one.
I don't think that Social security or medicare or the education system should get any they already have taxes in place and they will never have enough because of greedy people getting some thing that is not earned ie. bonuses, expense accounts, lavish pay, and automobiles, you know those $69,000.00 Esclade's, $72,000.00 1 ton dually trucks that your building inspector head would be driving.

« Previous Ten Next Ten »

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question