Section 5: Who Benefits, Who Pays? -- Can Lotteries Save Us? (From Gambling in Canada: Golden Goose or Trojan Horse?, P 307-313, 1989, Colin S. Campbell and John Lowman, eds. -- See NCJ-126295)

• NCJ Number: 126314
• Author(s): H R Kaplan
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Simon Fraser University
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Despite the revenue generating properties of Canadian lotteries, they cannot be expected to remain major contributors to large budget categories, given that profits usually consist of 35 percent of gross intake.

Abstract

Research conducted in the U.S. on lotteries reveal that they contribute a miniscule amount to State general revenues, rank low in a list of tax sources, and prove an unreliable source of income. Using a case study of the New Jersey State lottery, legalized in 1970, this article argues that too much is expected of these gambling activities. In several States where revenues are earmarked for education, expenditures per pupil actually dropped. While lotteries seem to be a permanent fixture in society, government officials need to recognize their fiscal limitations and accept their responsibility to fund social and economic programs through progressive revenue-generating measures. 1 table, 4 notes, and 3 references