Most lottery have very positive features that give back to the community. I lived in a state that used the lottery to let students go to community college for free.

or so they say ...

I think it would be more so the big lotteries that are fake, where the gains would be huge.

I think it's 20-30 percent corrupt paychecks and kickbacks for false flaggers, they let most go to legit winners, so the corruption doesn't get noticed

They don't need to cheat to make money.

Our state, the schools and stadiums both have lotteries. The school's general fund budget goes down as the gambling money rolls in. So the schools never get the extra money that was promised when they started the lotteries and the casinos.

It's a scam and tends to be played by lower income people. I think the money going to education at least in my state is a farce.

Some describe it as a tax on the poor, as it is the poor that spend so much on it while people like my dad spend a few spare dollars when the amount goes over $200mil. Done right, municipalities can use the profits for good.

as it is the poor that spend so much on it

Seen too many cases first hand of someone spending what was likely the bulk of their disposable income on lotto tickets.

It should be criminal, but that would require politicians having enough backbone to clean up the debt mess found at every level of government. Too good of a revenue stream at the moment, especially when it breaks $100-200M.

yeah, who hasn't seen some guy desperately scratching a bunch of scratch offs hoping to make it big. Sadly, they win - and usually let it ride. Hate seeing it.

I was thinking more in terms of the drawings, but scratch-off tickets are also bad.

yeah. I consider them both of the same poisonous family. I like to buy one every few months. But many don't have the control to keep it minimal.

yeah. It is a sickness as they focus only on the wins, but forget all about the losses.

Am I the only one who believes the lottery is one big scam and when the pot gets up to like 300 - 400 million it is won by some obscure person that no one knows and really goes to the government?

The government takes over 50% in taxes. They don't need to rig the lotto; they always win.

It's a huge scam to keep poor people poor, African Americans in particular.

You don't win big unless they want you to win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DxUvX5tsqY

Go back and watch the videos of those people who lost all their lotto winnings seven or eight times. They are so fake. Sometimes they give the people fake teeth and stuff. It's all bad acting. You don't win 5 times... and if you did, you don't lose all that money. It's just actors getting caught by reporters years later.

Those balls are computer driven...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynAxV74DMnA

I think this seven time lotto winner has fake teeth.

https://youtu.be/a-WWMvlQBEU?t=42s

What if it's a secret way to pay false flag actors and other participants?

i don't think the winnings are equally won, there seem to be certain areas that win more than others. i can't "show" proof of this, just something i notice.

however,

"3 Sandy Hook Victim's families Won Lottery Twice. 3 of the victim's families have won the LOTTERY TWICE:

Mark Mattioli won $100,000 on 9/16/11.

Mark Mattioli's son, James Mattioli, was a victim in the shooting on 12/14/12.

Mark Mattioli won $50,000 on 12/20/13.

the chance of this happening is like a few trillion to 1."

http://www.evilyoshida.com/thread-8305.html

http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/02/18/sandy-hook-victims-lottery-jackpots-and-free-homes-two-unusual-clues-unearthed-in-newtown/

Damn that's pretty insane

Nah a lot of people see the lottery as a major scam. There's a reason why it's known as the 'poor/dumb man's tax'. Financially well-to-do people don't squander their cash on corner deli lotto tickets or supermarket scratch offs. They can speculate on stocks if they want to gamble.

I walked into a western union/check cashing place the other day and saw like four or five gigantic lotto scratch off card machines lined up along one wall. Pretty weird juxtaposition; I guess the thought is someone cashes their check or receives some funds, sees the machine and figures they'll drop a few bucks because they start imagining how better life would be if they were more financially secure. The placement is definitely deliberate and probably predatory - but so is the whole lotto system after all. You get killed in taxes then get grifted again by the lotto scam.

It's telling when the local news spends time chattering about tonight's mega bajillions jackpot between their segments about shitty current events. It's like, 'The economy is down, taxes are going up, there is no longer a middle class, unrest and riots are spreading across the country like wildfire, the proletariat grows weary and thirsts for revolution-- by the way, spend your meager earnings on a zero percent chance to become filthy rich and live like the top 1%! And now, here's the weather."

The lottery is right behind the income tax as the biggest generator of revenue for the government

Think about that

The government relies on you spending your money to make more money after they already robbed you of money you already made

People don't realize that if we got rid of the lottery on Monday, many essential governmental services would collapse on Tuesday

It's all very sad imo. I feel bad for people that get sucked into it. I suppose the unseen grass can always be greener.

I think the winners are deep water operatives being rewarded

The lottery is a scam, but it's not a secret. The odds are stacked in favor of the people running it. This is how all forms of gambling work, and it's a well known fact.

My mom went to school with a local dude who won. He spent the money very obviously and lost lots of it and became a drug addict who bought stupid cars.