How many US states run a scam called the "Lottery"?

Question

Here in California, they pulled a scam on us to get the lottery passed..."our schools win too!", but that was a neat accounting trick(Enron style)...

Lower the tax burden on corporations by 37 cents, match it with the lottery $$, and volia'! The schools
got the same dollar, not $1.37

Anyone else see this garbage in their state. I've heard FL has the same set-up.

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotteries_in_the_United_States
shows that 40 of 50 states plus the District of Columbia have lotteries.

There are many lottery "scams" including that the prizes advertized are not advertized at their present values, but at the total amount of money you might receive over time (20 or more years). Therefore the actual value is around half, not counting the taxes you have to pay.

I don't understand your point about the lowering of the tax burden on corporations by 37 percent. I don't believe that was done when the lottery was passed in California.

Answer 2

here are my thoughts, how can it only be a ''half cash Option'' when it was won fair and square? Should be 100% payout. SINCE the USA has a law that says no Double Taxation why do the greedy bastards then tax another half of that when the ticket was paid for with AFTER-TAX money? So basically in the end, they advertise 400 million, but what your left with is 1/3 of the pot.....So someone explain how this is NOT a scam? Obummer or my senator/congressman wont answer this question, nor reply back to me!

Answer 3

I think every state except Utah and Hawaii have a lottery.

Answer 4

i like the lottery and a lot of kids are going to college that would not have been able to..to each his own..