Buying lottery tickets is something I rarely do as in general I consider it a waste of money, although harmless enough fun if it's something you can afford. But because tonight's draw was for $35 million, and I already had the change in my pocket, I figured why not. Then again maybe I shouldn't have as I have major misgivings about this whole lottery enterprise. [Yes, do relax and get yourself a cup of tea or something, as I'll probably outline them all, snort.]
First, I wish they would change the amount of money awarded in order to spread the wealth. I mean, what individual really needs $35 million? It's an obscene amount of money if you ask me. Wouldn't it be much nicer if they capped the award at $1 million (and no, please don't give me the "$1 million just doesn't go a long way anymore" routine), but had 35 draws so that more people or groups had a chance for this unexpected financial influx?
Secondly, I love how they include the warning "Know your limit, play within it!" on the ticket along with a telephone number to the Ontario Problem Gambling Helpline. At first glance this may seem like a decent thing to do, but somehow it just reminds me of the warnings and notices posted by various alcohol and tobacco companies. As they both have a vested interest in getting consumers to buy more of their product (i.e. drink and smoke more), it kinda strikes me as a conflict of interest. And the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people who don't know their limit when it comes to gambling, which is why there's been a huge increase in people addicted to this activity, and a corresponding increase in the number of gambling-related suicides. Unfortunately I don't know the exact statistics and wish I had kept the newspaper article from a few years ago on this very topic, but I remember being disgusted at the time that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation admitted that it could afford to pour millions into programs addressing addiction and suicide because it was a drop in the bucket in comparison to what they made!
That in turn made me look differently at their slick TV commercials with the catchy slogan "Imagine the Freedom", because certainly anyone addicted to gambling is not free by any means. And they make it look so easy too; buy a ticket and you won't have to work anymore. You can tell your boss to shove it, retire, and buy that big house. Or two or three. What they don't advertise of course is the staggering number of bankruptcies filed by lottery winners within a couple of years of winning. Again I don't know the exact statistic (will look it up and report back in an update), but I think it's close to 50 percent. Hmmm, I don't think bankruptcy offers much freedom either. On the other side of the coin it always surprises me when lottery winners announce they'll keep working at whatever job they have and while that certainly seems like the more responsible thing to do, a part of me feels that if they can afford to not work, then perhaps they should make room for someone else who really needs a job. And what galls me the most are people who win more than one large lottery! Um, in my opinion, if you've won a million or more once, then you should automatically be disqualified from all future lotteries. Like I said, we need to share the wealth.
Speaking of wealth, many people who play the lottery regularly (I'm not talking about the occasional ticket here or there) are the ones who can't always afford it. When you're making minimum wage, several different type of tickets at $2, $3 and $4 a pop really add up. I also saw this when I still worked for non-profit social service agencies, as a number of them would raise funds by selling Nevada tickets and profiting from Bingo hall games. Well, most of the people buying the tickets and playing in the halls are decidedly not rich, and it seemed questionable to me to take from them when in all probability a number of them were the very clients needing the programs offered by the agencies!
Getting back to those commercials I don't like, they also seem to me to encourage viewing the lottery as a viable way of making income (and I've known people who will spend hundreds of dollars convinced that they'll win as opposed to my philosophy that if I'm meant to win, then one ticket should do the trick) rather than as a fun game which in all likelihood will get you nothing. Except for maybe a free ticket to entice you to do it all over again. I also noticed that when I did occasionally play in the past the clerk redeeming my winning ticket always assumed I'd exchange what I'd won for another ticket or two. No thanks; I'll take the cash!
Thirdly (or is that sixthly by now?) and lastly, I have to share a lottery anecdote that always struck me as both funny and sad at the same time. Years ago when I was helping an elderly lady in her mid-eighties who was dying from COPD (a nasty lung disorder), I used to tease her about the scratch tickets she'd buy every week. What were they? Cash for Life! I mean, she knew she was dying so wouldn't have too much time to profit from this particular game, yet I could never get her to at least buy another type of ticket.
Well, wish me luck for tonight, but I guess that even if I don't win, this ticket certainly gave me a lot of material for a post.
At least two dollars worth I'd say, LOL.
