Does anybody think the lottery is damaging to society?

Question

I mean one person gets loads of money whilst others may be starving and living in appaling conditions. Also why do you think the lottery was invented? Your views pls and keep it serious!!!

Answer 1

I agree with you 100%!

The lottery is made by stupid people - for stupid people. They expect to get something for almost nothing. This ploy has been around for ages, and yet humanity falls for it again and again.

Oklahoma adopted a state lottery to help with education. You wanna know something? The funds generated from it have been "misplaced". Our education system hasn't seen a dime of it!

I don't participate in it. I've never even been tempted, but it makes me mad. They are allowing this to happen under a false agenda. I'd really like to know where the funds are going.

Answer 2

The New York lottery was devised as a counter to illegal gambling and to raise funds specifically for New York state's public schools. It has worked only marginally at producing the first desired effect but quite well at the second goal.
And no, it is not damaging society. You apparently aren't old enough to realize that for quite a long time there was no lottery and there were great numbers of people starving and others living in horrid conditions. The institution of the lottery had no effect on that situation one way or the other.
The lottery also has not increased nor decreased the number of "problem gamblers", those whose gambling is out of control. Before the lottery, it was remarkably easy to gamble, wherever you lived and however illegal it was. Just as in the Prohibition era, where alcoholic beverages were outlawed, people found plenty of the stuff to go around.
So: if you like to take chances on winning fabulous amounts of money, go buy yourself a lottery ticket now and then. If you feel it is a waste of your money - then don't. It's as simple as that.

Answer 3

The idea of the lottery was to fund causes that do not get Government funding, arts, sport etc. However, the government couldn't resist the temptation of all this easy money.

As for the starving and poor, these are given funds from Government and charities. The Lottery was supposed to go to 'good causes' which recieve no such funding. I'm talking about the British Lottery, by the way.

Answer 4

Nothing has changed as far as some getting rich and some starving is concerned. Man has already created the disaster and the lottery is just cashing in on it like everything else. I think if you looked at the statistics it wont have actually made much difference to the ecenomical security of the individual. The main problem with mankind (myself included) is that even the nicest and most generous of lottery winners isnt going to give it all up to the ones who they know really need it. Its mankind thats the problem not the lottery

Answer 5

Those starving and living in appalling conditions would still be in that situation even if someone didn't win the lottery money. How is someone winning going to hurt them? Hey, one of them could win it and then live better. Meanwhile, the lottery raises money for education, to help poor people improve their lot in life.

Answer 6

In my opinion, the lottery was created in order to boost popular faith in the system of capitalism. Of course, the lottery makes a lot of money for the government. And money corrupts, just like absolute power corrupts. Capitalism has corrupted our arts - - we don't choose what is beautiful anymore, but instead we, society, chooses what is popular. It is so sad to see how pure beauty has been corrupted by foolish opportunistic animals who seek to destroy the inner souls of mankind.

The lottery is a game played upon the minds of millions of people. The people choose to subject themselves to obvious disappointment, through the implementation of the "proper balance" between the masochistic and the sadistic within the fabric of society. Yes, the psychology of the lottery is very extensive. So many losers, so many losers, and "the winner" is always the one who "wins," implying that by winning money, money equates to success, and by not winning money, this somehow proves a person is of lesser worth. Maddening, isn't it?

One should also note that the lottery system is nearly always run by governments and not by private individuals or corporations - - there is a reason for this obvious fact!

Answer 7

Yes, it is making people greedier and also encourgaes people to spend money they cant afford to 'Chase the Dream'

How many stories have you read in the papers about John Smith getting the Jackpot etc on his last pound, think how many people havent been so lucky as Mr Smith who lives in a 1 bedroom council flat in the roughest area in Glasgow.

I play the lottery now and again you never know but i think people should be coucilled and better prepared for life when they do win, again ive heard a number of stories of people whos lives have been ruined by big lotto wins

It has its good points and can help make people happy, set them up nicely etc

Answer 8

I am less concerned with the lucky winner (because people inherit, and people make smart investments) than I am with the use of the fact of an occasional winner to sell tickets -- to put lottery outlets everywhere, knowing that 20% of the customers buy 80% of the lottery tickets, and many are problem gamblers whose families are destroyed.

It's one thing to make a gambler go to Las Vegas, Atlantic City or an Indian casino or riverboat. It's another to put a gambling site on every streetcorner.

Answer 9

We used to have the lottery in another guise... The Football Pools. Many underprivileged people played it accept Littlewoods or Vernons coined it in. At least with the National Lottery, a quarter of what is spent goes to good causes. And God knows, they all need it starting with the Hospices for a kick off.

Answer 10

In Georgia the lotto was started to help students pay for college. It is called the HOPE Scholarship program. If you have a B average in High School you are eligible for a free ride to any Public College and $250 or $300 for books per semester. You have to keep your B average in College to keep the scholar ship, but it is a good insinuative for those who's parents can't afford to send them to college.

Also it will pay a certain amount for Private Colleges, but not a full ride. I think now it also pays for Pre-K programs as well.