FULL REPORT

Lucrative Lure of Lotteries and Gambling	November 9, 1990

Report Outline
Special Focus

Introduction

Gambling fever is sweeping the country. Louisiana voters approved a lottery Oct. 7, bringing the total number of lottery states to 33. Gambling proposals also were on the ballots of several other states Nov. 6, suggesting that more people accept the argument that gambling should be viewed as a “voluntary tax.” At the same time, though, troubling questions continue to be raised about gambling's impact on individual bettors—and about whether it is as lucrative and reliable a revenue source as its proponents claim.

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Overview

“All That Cash … All at Once!” That catchy phrase is the slogan of the District of Columbia's daily lottery game, but it could also serve as a theme for the nation's decade-long gambling boom. People across the country are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a day on lotteries, slot machines, casino table games, parimutuel racing and other forms of wagering in hope of striking it rich fast. According to Gaming & Wagering Business magazine, $290.1 billion was spent on legal and illegal gambling in the United States in 1989.

For some bettors, the dream does indeed come true. As state-sponsored lotteries have grown in popularity, multimillion-dollar jackpots have become almost commonplace. The resulting news stories about the day laborer or retired teacher who becomes an instant millionaire keep alive the aspirations of others seeking a similar windfall.

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