Is playing the lottery a sin?

No, the gambling lobby always pushes their agenda by proclaiming it to be in the best interest of education. However, once the money is raised, it goes into the state's general fund with all other revenue. That is how they avoid any itemized listing of exactly how much of their revenue is funding education. I am no fan of the gambling lobby, and I do not want to present myself as such. But I am not naive, either. As a state employee, I am sure that some of the money I deposit, tithe, and spend every month comes from shady sources, such as the gaming industry and tax on liquor sales, etc.

Rhonda

 

Interesting, since all the lottery money in California goes directly to education. And you know what? The teachers unions are STILL complaining that they don't get enough for education. Perhaps if administrators would relinquish their $300,000 a year paychecks, that might help.

Too much spent on unions and admins, not enough on the classrooms. Anyhoo, different topic.

 

Rhonda,
My intent was not to call you naive. (I don't know if you think I did or not)
I can only speak for myself in saying that knowingly accepting a salary in part from that industry, or any other "shady source" , would bother me. There may very well be some hidden "shady sources" that have contributed to my salary or that of my husband in some way in the past through some company. I realize that is all too possible.

 

Johnv,
Do you think you could get me a job in California? Do you seriously think that's true? I am an administrator in a community college and I make less than 40,000 a year. I didn't choose this career path to get rich (which is such a good thing, obviously).
Rhonda

 

Pamela,
No, I didn't interpret your post that way; I was just sharing some of my own ponderings over where my salary comes from. Of course, I also wonder how much money that goes into the offering plates on Sunday was won at the boats the previous weekend. (None since Katrina, at least).

Rhonda

 

Rhonda -
ok, I'm glad. And as for the offering plates, that could be a whole other topic of discussion!
Welcome to the BB, by the way!

 

If I ever thought I had money that did not belong to God and I just wanted to flush it down the toilet....why not just flush it down the toilet?

 

Rhonda, there are 10 UC schools in CA. There are 20 employees that make 300,000 a year. There are an additional 400 UC employees that make 200,000 a year or more. Some deans are getting almost 500,000 a year, once bonuses and other compensations are considered.

I think the current average pay for a non-university teacher in CA is 55K (average starting salary is $35k). That varies from district to district. My own wife is a math teacher at a private school, and makes considerably less than that.

Now, the community college system here is a bit more down to earth here. It goes without saying that it is not the community college system that is drainig the coffers. The average salary for community college teachers in CA is in the 60K range and up, depending on the district. Admins make more.

In fact, I'm currently enrolled in the Community College System taking some I.T. related classes. Come on over and be my teacher

 

Cause a million dollars never came back out of the toilet!

 

I have a friend who plays the lottery with a dream that she will win big and be able to use the money for helping her church and her missions groups more than she currently can.

No "coveting" involved.

 

I really haven't made up my mind about if playing the lottery is sin.

I know that when it was begun here in Oklahoma just a few weeks ago that many needy people won.

Several hurricane victims were given lottery tickets. One won $5,000. One won $25,000. It seems that this was a good thing.

The woman who works hard at the grocery store carrying out groceries told me that she had bought a $1.00 lottery ticket and had won $60.00. That was a good thing. However, I know that the odds are that many people who cannot afford to lose money probably had spent more than they should.

I have not bought an Oklahoma Lottery Ticket yet.
The funds are supposed to go to our schools.

I really don't see any difference in buying lottery tickets than giving money to people who pretend to need money. (Professional moochers).

However, it is the moocher that is sinning not the person giving.

There are people who use the internet to get money under false pretenses. That would be another thread, wouldn't it? Sorry my mind seems to wander sometimes.

 

Thankful, I don't have any statistics off hand, but here in Texas, the lottery money is supposed to go to schools also, and I don't believe the schools ever saw any real benefits. When the scratch off games began here, the payoffs were larger (the first was a million dollar grand prize I believe) and the odds were better, but that changes. I'm sure it is calculated to get people excited about winning, and getting them into the habit of buying the tickets.

 

Here is a news article about Texas lotto funding of public schools.

web page

 

I wondered if that is what was going on because we haven't heard about any big winners this week. And I am skeptical about the money going to public schools. Every time we have any thing like that such as horse racing, it is supposed to go to public schools.

 

Of course, cojosh----after careful observation of Pamela approaching the chilly river on a 30 degree day---and treading water all the way across twice a day to and from work--5 days a week-(not counting the times she treads across to go grocery shoppin' )---that Lotto bridge is getting to look "better and better" all the time---and just to know that I didn't pour one copper penny into building that span---is enough for me!! I can drive across a bridge that I didn't "help build" with my bula bula!!

Blackbird

 

James,

Originally the Texas lottery was sold to Texans as being a perfect way to raise funding for Texas schools without taxing people who didn't want to be taxed. We were promised the money would go, 100%, to the schools.

Texans voted for it. Then it came out that the money was not going to schools. The explanation from the state was "it goes to the general fund of Texas, and we can't designate how the general fund will be used."

Texans screamed foul. At the risk of being voted out of office the legislature quickly moved to fix that.

Then the lottery commissioner started lying about how much the lottery would pay off. That caused a law suit. During that trial it came out that the low-bid contracter was not given the contract, as state law would have required.

The corruption started with Ann Richard's administration. She gave the contract to GTech, and a political buddy named Ben Barnes. Barnes got a percentage of the gross - about $3 million a year.

During that investigation the fact that the GTech contract was not bid on came out. GTech fired Barnes and paid him $23 million to stay quiet about everything he knew.

Barnes, the guy paid $3 million a year by Ann Richard's buddies and then $23 million to stay quiet (also paid by Ann Richard's buddies) is the same person who told Dan Rather that he personally got kept Presidnet Bush out of Vietnam. (Real man of integrity.)

Also during the Bush governor's administration, Nora Linares was fired by the Lottery Commission because she of questionable business practices which included not objecting to GTech hiring Ben Barnes, even though she knew his hiring violated a state law against hiring former state officials as a lobbyist, and for hiring her own boyfriend.

Bush appointed Miers, Miers took in 700 job applications, hired a man named Littman for $100,000 a year. (A huge difference in what Barnes was making.) Littman asked for an audit, since he discovered GTech had not been audited since Richards gave them the contract and Texas law requierd audits be done. Littman put the contract up for open bid.

Miers ordered him to stop the investigation and fired him. He sued for wrongful termination. GTech settled with him out of court for $300,000.