Is It Appropriate For Government to Promote Gambling?

A lottery is a game where tickets are sold with numbers that have a chance of being drawn and the winner gets a prize. Historically, states have used them to raise money for a variety of public purposes. They have also been a popular form of gambling.

The most important argument in favor of lotteries is that they allow governments to raise revenue without having to increase taxes. This premise is fundamentally flawed, but it’s been very effective in getting state lawmakers to adopt and promote them.

When a lottery is introduced, its revenues usually expand quickly, but then they level off or even decline. This is because people eventually become bored with the games offered, and state officials must continually introduce new ones to maintain or increase revenues.

Moreover, many of the new games are based on the same underlying principles as older ones and therefore don’t offer much in the way of innovation. In addition, these games tend to appeal mainly to the interests of specific groups, such as convenience store owners; lottery suppliers (heavy contributions to state political campaigns are routinely reported); and teachers, in those states where lottery revenues are earmarked for them.

As a result, lottery promotion and advertising often run at cross-purposes with the general public interest. And even if these issues are minimal, is it appropriate for the government to be promoting gambling? The answer, of course, depends on the particular lottery.