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Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.
Another view?
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Here I am once again laughing to myself. There is a giant mega lottery, and I can’t buy a ticket. Here we are in the gambling capital of the world, and we can’t get a lottery ticket in town. I for one have never heard a good answer for the reason we still haven’t legalized a lottery in Nevada, especially when I have an idea for the casinos to make money from having one. Why don’t they?
Mr. Walsh beat me to the punch.
There is absolutely no reason why we should not have a lottery here.
We already embrace the gaming industry with open arms. Therefore it is impossible to argue against having a lottery on moral grounds.
On the other hand, millions of dollars are sent to California every year at the lottery stores just across the state line. Granted, a few million dollars won't solve our budget problems, but why should we give them to California?
It will take about four years to change our State Constitution if we start right now. What is stopping us?
Lotteries are fun and entertainment. But the plain truth is that little if any of the state winnings are used for the intentions and purposes that they are proposed to be for. The funds are diverted for various reasons and to various needs oftentimes unrelated to the lottery purpose. It's a fact. Check it out for yourself in those states that have lotteries, and there are many.
CarmineD
If I remember correctly there was a lot of lottery hype going on in Nevada back in the early eighties.
People were complaining that we needed our own state lottery.Instead of having to drive in to California or Arizona to buy tickets.
The Megabucks system which is a statewide slot network, has 750 machines in 136 casinos across the state.It was supposed to be Nevada's answer to having a lottery.It brings in a lot of money to our state from slot players.
Nevada residents still flock to California and Arizona to buy lottery tickets sold in each of these states.It makes perfectly good sense to have our own state lottery here in Nevada.
State Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish,
"Many people may be surprised to know that after the lottery was formed in 1982, the Legislature directed its revenue to be deposited in the state's general fund. That's the fund that pays for the day-to-day operations of the state."
"Nevertheless, the point may be moot. Total expenditures for public schools in fiscal year 2007-08 exceeded $12 billion. Lottery proceeds make up less than one percent of current spending on education. Our legislative budget analysts say that if used exclusively for education, lottery proceeds would run schools in Washington for less than two days."
State Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, represents the 39th Legislative District, and also serves as chairman of the Washington House Republican Caucus.
http://hrc.leg.wa.gov/news/budget-taxes/...
Casino magnates fear competion they can't control.
In a wealth survey done several years ago 36% of Americans said that they were planning for retirement by purchasing lottery tickets. One of the reasons vast numbers are broke. Saving and prudent investment should be emphasized. Not 200 million to one lottery jackpots.
Lottery is nothing but a Poor Mans Tax. The last Power ball drawing was not just one state lottery it has a bunch of states involved so your odds go sky high to win. The state run only lottery's usually do not ease the tax burden in those states. The lottery is nothing more than the old numbers game run by the mob years ago but the mob lets more people win. I can guarantee you if Nevada gets a lottery the government officials here will be drooling to get their hands on the money and pork barrel spend it to keep their jobs. That is what has happen in the other states so Google lottery state by state and see how they abuse the money and the tax payers who think they are lowering their taxes.
It's simply the power of Nevada's gaming industry at work.
Vernos,
"Casino magnates fear competion they can't control".
I don't know if I believe this would be a problem for our state.California and Arizona folks buy vast amounts of lottery tickets and still find time and money to visit Las Vegas. That may have been a worry at one time but should not be any longer.The casinos don't seem to worry much about locals going to both of these states(CA.AZ.) to buy lottery tickets.
We've already decided there is nothing wrong with gambling (and even prostitution in some areas.) It might not be much ($20M/yr I think is spent at the California stores we border with) but why let that money leave? What the heck, you can't even go into a grocery store or K-Mart without seeing a dozen or so slot machines (with probably the poorest payouts in the State and people still play them.)
It should very simple to write a ballot initiative that will remove the prohibition from our State Constitution that can pass muster with the courts for language. After that, it's a battle with the casinos.
I say this speaking for myself and not the Nevada Whigs. But I would be more than happy to make this an official Party stance if I hear feedback supporting it.
By the way, our State legislature could get this done in less than three years if they were to start on it this upcoming session. I might be wrong, but I don't think measures to change the State Constitution are subject to the Governor's veto (but they do require a higher majority to pass.) This means the Democrats in Carson City can do this with only a couple of Republicans on board, if they want to.
A Lottery can only make sense as an alternative/replacement to taxation (public theft) -- not as a supplemental revenue program which further fuels spend-a-holic governments.
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