Understanding the gaming and lottery business (Part II)

The gaming industry, with the huge amounts of money involved, has changed people’s lives. While some people have been fascinated with the business, others have believed that this industry was a swindle. The point of these series of article is to remove some of the confusion from the debate and make things clearer. I shall attempt to explain the purpose, background, history and the ethical basis of the gaming business. Some believe the lottery is valuable opportunity for building prosperity while other people consider the entire industry evil and a threat people’s money and, therefore, their security. Is the gaming business worth it? Can it be sustainable and profitable and in the public interest; or should we simply outlaw it in our country. In 1539 King Francis I of France ran a lottery to get his kingdom’s treasury out of debt. Lotteries were also used to fund culture. In 1753, a lottery was held to help build the British museum. All these lotteries described previously are now defunct except for the Netherlands lottery, which founded in 1726, is still in operation today. It is officially the oldest lottery in the world. This trend of success and evident social impact began to lose momentum in 1820, when corruption began to plague privately owned lotteries, which often advertised big jackpots and then awarded no prizes at all. Lotteries that used to be popular after the Revolution by the late 19th century became known for mismanagement and scandals, and started to be banned in many states of USA. After 1820, a civic battle began in North America to ban public lotteries. Church-led organizations often led the fight for social reforms. The lottery was on a list of hot button issues, along with the prohibition of alcohol, the abolition of slavery and workers rights. Through the rest of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, anti-lottery reformers sought to ban the lottery. This became an issue through most states and provinces in the United States and Canada. The Louisiana State Lottery (1868-1892) that was the most notorious state lottery and was known as the “Golden Octopus” as it reached into every American home, became a breeding ground of corruption having bribed the legislators into a fraudulent deal, during a time when other states were viewing lotteries and gambling with suspicion. In July of 1890 President Harrison sent a message to Congress insisting that “severe and effective legislation” be enacted against lotteries. By 1856, all lotteries were banned in Canada. This was followed by a ban of lottery materials by mail in 1890 in the United States. In 1905, The U.S. Supreme court prohibited all gambling, ending the successful century old reign of the Louisiana Lottery. It wasn’t until 1964 that the United States would see a lottery again. Gambling was again legalized in 1969 in Canada, giving provinces the permission to operate lotteries and casinos that gave the proceeds to charitable or religious causes. In 1973, The Olympic Lottery Corporation of Canada used the lottery to begin funding the 1976 Olympics that were to be held in Montreal. That year, the popularity of today’s lotteries was sealed as the sales for all lotteries in North America surpassed $500 million. Soon after this success, other laws followed that made playing the lottery more accessible to North Americans. This included the incorporation of countless private, state wide, federal and (in Canada) province run lotteries. This included amendments to allow state lotteries to once again advertise through the mail as well as on billboards, radio and television. By 1999, more than 100 foreign lotteries were in operation worldwide. Today, more than 38 US states have lotteries. They have become a vital part of each state’s revenues, funding a variety of programs, such as elderly care, education, and often, economic development. Even as other forms of gaming proliferate in the U.S., consumer support for the lottery is at an all time high. In the 34 years since the inaugural New Hampshire Sweepstakes, lotteries have grown to serve more than 210 million Americans, about 80 percent of the nation’s population, providing over 250,000 jobs and over 240,000 retailers sell lottery tickets. ……to be continued aimecld8@gmail.com