The Truth About Gambling That You Will Not Hear From The Lottery Proponents

2019 Alabama Lottery Bill

By Danny Hubbard (Researcher, Author and Christian Radio Co-Host)

Here we go again! We fought off gambling years ago and it continues to raise its’ ugly head again. This time the bill was introduced by Senator Jim McClendon, who happens to be one of the state senators who represents a portion of my county, Talladega County. I have to say, “shame on you Senator McClendon” and any politician who supports the Lottery.

I was told that the people in certain districts want the Lottery. People in certain districts may want prostitution to become legal, but that does not mean our elected officials should ask for a referendum to legalize prostitution. Is there no moral fiber left in America? Alabama?

You will not hear the Lottery proponents talk about what is within this document, because the facts in this document do not paint a pretty picture of the affects the Lottery WILL have on Alabamians, if it passes.

Alabama is considered one of the top 2 conservative states in America and 3rd most Evangelical state in the union. Let us show Alabama, America and the World, that we will maintain these leading stats by voting against the Lottery.

Alabama is also ranked 4th as the poorest state in America. It has been proven in virtually every state that has legalized the Lottery, the majority of participants in the Lottery are the lower income minorities who buy most of the tickets. To vote for the Lottery for the sake of taxes, economic growth, satisfying the government spending, etc. is to say to these lower income families: “We really do not care how it affects your family because we can help solve our budget crisis in state government with the Lottery income”. Let me put it another way. Would you be willing to tell your family, “Family, as the head of this household, I have decided to spend most of our income on Lottery tickets to win $30 or more at a winning ratio of 1:2944”. (stoppredatorygambling.org-Lottery is a tax). You might say, “Has Dad lost his marbles?” But that is exactly what happens with many thousands of families across America who spend most of their money on lottery tickets which is needed for food, clothing, shoes, etc..

Here are some quick facts about the effects of gambling. Playing the lottery could lead to compulsive gambling. You will not become a gambling addict if you never gamble. (Casino Watch.com)

  •  60% of those addicted to gambling will commit crimes[1]
  • 20% of gambling addicts commit or attempt suicide[2]
  • 63% of gambling addicts are alcoholics[3]
  • 20% of addicted gamblers have filed for bankruptcy[4]
  • 50% will abuse spouses and children[5]
  • 20% of the homeless are gambling addicts[6]
  • 50% of gambling addicts will divorce[7]
  • The average (gambling) debt is between $63,000 and $110,000[8]

Here are some more facts about gambling and the affects it has on families and societies as a whole. This is not to say that everyone who buys a lottery ticket will fall into one of these categories, but the possibility of someone who begins to play the lottery has the potential to become addicted to it.

  • “The rate of attempted suicide among compulsive gamblers is 200 times the national average.”[9]
  • “More than 53 percent reported having been divorced in the National Opinion Research Center survey. Multiple failed marriages also are higher among gamblers than the population in general.”[10]
  • “Problem gamblers are 10 times more likely to be involved in a hospital emergency room [for treatment] than non-gamblers.”[11]
  • “Research shows that if you have a gambling problem you will likely have an alcohol problem as well, and a drug problem.”[12]
  • “for every dollar raised for the state by a lottery an additional 52 cents must be taken in to pay the expenses of raising that dollar”.[13]
  • “Nearly all of the lottery gambling was paid for by spending less on non-gambling items, including clothing, food, and rent. These numbers are the average over all low income households.[14]
  • Lotteries are exempt from the Federal Trade Commission truth-in-advertising laws. Instead, the states are self-regulating, allowing lotteries to get away with misleading and predatory advertising far beyond what private businesses are allowed. [15]
  • The poorest third of households buy half of all lotto tickets, Duke University study in the 1980s.[16]
  • Most lottery tickets are bought in places with more minorities. Nationwide, African Americans spend five times more on lottery tickets than white people.[17]

Will the lottery bring in revenue to the state? Sure, it will. However, how many families are worth breaking up, how many deaths are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to sacrifice your family and subject them to the potential disasters mentioned above? If so, you do not have much respect nor regard for your family!

The gambling society will have millions of dollars to put into advertising the Lottery on TV, Radio and the Printed Press. They will paint the pretty picture of how rich you can get by buying a lottery ticket and how it will turn your life around. There is some truth in this last statement, for it could very well turn your life around and upside down.

Why would anyone want to subject their family to the potential problems that gambling could bring about within their lives and the lives of their loved ones? I hope you will call your state senators, state house representatives, friends and family and tell them to vote NO to the lottery in Alabama. We have provided you with FACTS about the lottery and gambling. We hope you will say NO to the Lottery and help us fight against the evils that the lottery brings to our lives.

P.S. For those of you who believe the Bible is truly God’s Word: 

Proverbs 13:11 “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.” In other words, God blesses the labor of our hands but will cause vain ways of obtaining wealth to become less and become a loss. Gambling is pure vanity and the Lottery is gambling.

[1] California Council on Problem Gambling

[2] National Council on Problem Gambling

[3] California Council on Problem Gambling

[4] Prof. John Warren Kindt Bankruptcy Developments Journal, volume 19, No.1

[5] National Research Council, The Guardian

[6] Atlantic City Rescue Mission and Association of Gospel Rescue Missions in Kansas

[7] National Opinion Research Center survey

[8] CT Department of Mental Health

[9] 9/6/99 The Advocate

[10] Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc., 5/22/06

[11] www.ctnow.com, 10/19/04

[12] MIDWEST CONFERENCE ON PROBLEM GAMBLING & SUBSTANCE ABUSE

[13] NASPL sales data

[14] National Bureau of Economic Research

[15] Report to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission

[16] Duke University study in the 1980s

[17] VOX on the Lottery 1/13/16

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