Scratch Lottos: The Voluntary Tax

I can understand the appeal of scratch lottery tickets. Playing them can be fun and nothing beats instant gratification (like the feel of putting on a new pair of socks). But I think there may be something a little irresponsible about state lotteries, with the full knowledge that poorer segments of society are more inclined to buy tickets, introducing higher cost options.

The introduction of instant-win tickets that cost $10, $20 and $30 — and offer top prizes of $1 million or more — has set lottery sales on fire in many states. Scratch-off ticket sales soared 59% from 2001 to 2005.

It's hard to understand how someone can shell out up to $30 on a ticket that has longer odds of success than playing most casino games. Sure, the more expensive scratch tickets pay out up to 75% of the money taken in (as opposed to only 60% on the cheaper tickets), but if played intelligently, games like blackjack or roulette pay out well over 90%.

While I don't believe it's the government's job to protect us from ourselves, I'm still a little uncomfortable with their willingness to jump into the fun game of "bilk the poor". I'd at least like to see the appearance of responsibility. Maybe a little printed notice on each ticket that reads: "For each dollar you spend on this dream of a lifetime, expect to get back 75 cents. Have fun!"

A lot of scratch: Big games reinvigorate lottery sales [USA Today]

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