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How does MS, GA, TN & FLA have a lottery and Alabama doesn't?
Posted on 6/10/16 at 6:53 am
Posted on 6/10/16 at 6:53 am
I've lived in Alabama all my life and I can't wrap my mind around it. How did the lottery/gaming come about in other SE states? Why not here?
Posted on 6/10/16 at 6:57 am to stomp
Since when does MS have lottery?
Posted on 6/10/16 at 7:02 am to PrivatePublic
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Since when does MS have lottery?
I could have sworn they did. I stand corrected. They do have casinos though.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 7:05 am to stomp
We use ours to pay for scholarships for in-state kids to go to in-state schools. Great program.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 7:21 am to Supravol22
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We use ours to pay for scholarships for in-state kids to go to in-state schools. Great program.
That sounds great, but is it really happening with any significant number of the proceeds collected?
Kentucky passed the lottery on the grounds that it would fund education in the state, but most of the money is now diverted to other projects and schools still struggle for funding.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 7:21 am to stomp
I honestly think Alabama's religious views are keeping the lottery from being established there. I remember when I was at Auburn that the topic came up and was put on a November ballot. Preachers from all across the state were urging their congregations to vote against it because gambling is a sin/vice/etc.
I also remember seeing tape of one guy in the pulpit saying vote against it, but if it passes, do not play. However, if you play and win, remember the church and tithe your winnings.
I also remember seeing tape of one guy in the pulpit saying vote against it, but if it passes, do not play. However, if you play and win, remember the church and tithe your winnings.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 7:32 am to PJinAtl
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I honestly think Alabama's religious views are keeping the lottery from being established there. I remember when I was at Auburn that the topic came up and was put on a November ballot. Preachers from all across the state were urging their congregations to vote against it because gambling is a sin/vice/etc.
I also remember seeing tape of one guy in the pulpit saying vote against it, but if it passes, do not play. However, if you play and win, remember the church and tithe your winnings.
I think its deeper than religion. Most people in the state willfully commit other sins on the grounds of personal benefit. Gaming is no different. The longer I live, the more I think something else is at play. Just can't figure out what it is.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 7:58 am to stomp
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I can't wrap my mind around it
blame your fellow Alabamians
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:05 am to Supravol22
Yeah but whenever they implemented the Hope scholarships the colleges just increased their tution by that amount because they know they are going to get that government money anyway.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:06 am to stomp
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I think its deeper than religion. Most people in the state willfully commit other sins on the grounds of personal benefit. Gaming is no different. The longer I live, the more I think something else is at play. Just can't figure out what it is.
There are two things at play. One is religion. The last time a lottery referendum vote went to the people, the churches(mainly Southern Baptist) ran a huge get out the vote campaign and squashed. If I remember right, statewide polls showed most residents supported it, but voter turnout was low.
Second, and this is more recent, the Poarch Creek Indians don't want one and they've spent a lot of money lobbying Montgomery to keep it from going to a referendum. The general feeling is if it went to a referendum the people would vote for it. Remember, Governor Bentley said he would support a referendum on it, but he knew the legislature was bought and paid for by the Poarch Creek Indians and they would never get a bill through. Sure enough, a bill hasn't been passed, and I don't even think one has reached the floor for debate/vote.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:15 am to stomp
I like the lottery. Keeps the classes stable
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:16 am to stomp
Serious answer: Alabama is a really terrible state.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:28 am to stomp
Bama and Miss people are poor enough as it is. You'd bankrupt those states populations if you gave them a lottery (I say that given my experience living in some pretty poor parts of GA; buy more cigarettes and lotto tickets with the $15 scratch off winnings and food stamps take care of the rest)
This post was edited on 6/10/16 at 8:30 am
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:39 am to Robert Goulet
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Serious answer: Alabama is a really terrible state.
That's your serious answer as to why Alabama doesn't have a lottery?
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:50 am to Supravol22
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We use ours to pay for scholarships for in-state kids to go to in-state schools. Great program.
Same here in SC. It's called "The South Carolina Education Lottery" and the proceeds go to an in-state scholarship fund for SC residents.
ETA: But we do not have casinos even with the # of Cherokee Indians that reside along the SC/NC border in the Appalachian foothills...the Cherokee have casinos in NC bc they are illegal in SC. Makes zero sense to me.
This post was edited on 6/10/16 at 9:01 am
Posted on 6/10/16 at 8:51 am to stomp
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They do have casinos though.
So does Alabama
Posted on 6/10/16 at 9:06 am to stomp
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cause it functions as a regressive tax on poor people. The economic utility of money spent on the lottery tickets is far less and uncertain when compared to the certain value it could make in the everyday life of a poor person.
As a whole poor people spend more money on lottery tickets than the wealthy. Spend that $15 a day trying to win that "frick you" money. It's appealing but highly pointless
Posted on 6/10/16 at 9:23 am to blzr
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They do have casinos though.
So does Alabama
Don't you find that odd as well?
Seems hypocritical to deem one form of betting illegal and another legal.
Posted on 6/10/16 at 9:28 am to Carolina_Girl
Alabama's casinos aren't real casinos, and they're on Indian reservations so not completely subject to state laws. They basically just have slot machines. The Poarch Creek Indians have funneled a ton of money through lobbyists to the lawmakers to keep any other form of gambling out of Alabama.
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