THE LOTTERY IS BAD BECAUSE...

1. It is based on greed and covetousness.
2. It encourages a "something for nothing" attitude instead of promoting a strong work ethic among our people.
3. It teaches people to gamble and both young and old become addicted to it.
4. It will open the door for other kinds of gambling and corruption.
5. It places an unfair burden on the poor. Money that is needed for food, clothing, shelter, and education will be wasted on lottery tickets.
6. It takes advantage of the mathematically illiterate. They do not realize that the chances of winning are so remote that if one plays the lottery on a regular basis the possibility of winning is still non-existent.
7. It fails to point out the cost to society of a pathological gambler. In the state of Georgia, it costs $13,200 per year per pathological gambler because of the repercussions of the actions of the pathological gambler. In the state of Tennessee, it is estimated the cost to the state is more than 95 million dollars a year.
8. It is like an unfair tax on the lower socio-economic segment of society. The poor tend to spend more on lottery tickets than those in a higher economic bracket.
9. It tends to corrupt government and politicians. So, don't only say "no" to the lottery, say "no" to any politician who is in favor of the lottery.
10. It will hurt the very poor people it is supposed to help: our children. If the lottery is approved in your state, in all probability it will never be voted out again and our children will pay for our foolishness and shortsightedness for years to come.

This information was taken from a newsletter by the Tennessee Drug Awareness Council located in Nashville, Tennessee.

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