"Daxon also says an increase in gaming in the state has led to a variety of social problems."

Ok ..... any specifics?

Maybe he's referring to folks buying lottery tickets on Sunday.  You know, you aren't suppose to buy lottery tickets on Sunday!  HEHEHE!!

Share your thoughts.

Life itself presents problems that need to be solved; just because you have problems in life doesn't mean that one should stop living as a way to solve the problems in life.  I apply the same reasoning to gaming and the lottery; just because there are some problems with people not controlling their playing doesn't mean they should do away with the lottery and gaming all together.  Being from Oklahoma, I can say that the revenue generated from gaming has been a godsend for the Native American tribes there...my own tribe is providing services and building facilities and creating jobs that it just wasn't able to do prior to the gaming operations.  Oklahoma also happens to be a state very much dependent on the ebb and flow of manufacturing and agriculture...I saw firsthand the devastating effect the migration of manufacturing plants from my hometown and nearby cities had on the local economy.  I see places having gaming and lottery operations no different than all that have retail outlets...it's just another way to spend your money.  I know schools were facing funding shortfalls before the lottery was approved...I wonder what they will do if they succeed in repealing Oklahoma's lottery...oh raise people's property, income, and sales taxes even higher?!!!  At least gaming operations are "taxes" that people voluntary choose to pay.  I take it that the Oklahoma governor knows of noone who have been displaced from the homes due to wildly escalating property taxes they cannot afford to pay.  So I guess they don't have statistics how doing that has led to the very real problem of people losing their homes to tax liens or having to move before that happens.  I think for starters, they should cut all top government employees salaries by 1/3.  I mean, I know of government workers pulling in $80K just to review paperwork, attend meetings, and many spend their time figuring out ways to bring in more revenue vice figuring out ways to cut expenses whereas civilian workers perhaps pull in 2/3 that amount and focus on both sides of the equation.  Or when it comes to the point where they have to cut expenses, they do so without any rhyme or reason as to the impact it will have long-term (translation:  it is often not done in a very smart manner).

Sounds more like mismanagement to me. I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but seems to me the house always wins ?? ... What they do with their winnings needs to be investigated.

DD

Gaming is causing social problems?  I don't think the lottery has anything to do with that.  Even if they didn't have a lottery they have tribal casinos.  Seems like that would cause more problems than a state lottery would.   

Maybe OK isn't doing so well because of the marketing structure.  To me the OK lottery seems fairly disorganized.  Just my opinion.

The people of Oklahoma are slow...I think Oklahoma's pick5 has better payouts than any pick5 in the USA...the 25K are "taxed paid", the 4of 5 pays 500 dollars and the 3 of 5 pays 10 dollars and 2of 5 pays "a free ticket"(wish it could be of your own choice and not a quick pick, which i think it is) ...I just hope they keep it like that and do not increase the matrix...HOw can a lottery like that result in low revenue? i do not get it....I do not know i think it may be that OK has a small population...The state whose revenue should be low should be N.Y...

And what revenue does Powerball bring to Oklahoma? That is why i feel they should have their own "Win For Life" lotto or "Hot Lotto" and not Powerball?

and due the revenue gotten from Powerball goes to the participating states equally or it depends on each state's revenue? Because if it depends on each state's revenue Powerball and Mega Millions are not worthed having in your state....

"Laura Simpson from Navy Federal Credit Union in Great Lakes, Illinois deserves to be rich...."        "She is so rare...."

They say that each state has its own lottery personality, meaning each state has its unique lotto structure...

But i don't think so because all state almost look alike when it comes to lotto...

"Laura Simpson from Navy Federal Credit Union in Great Lakes, Illinois deserves to be rich...."        "She is so rare..."

The lottery has always been a lousy way to pay for education needs because the revenues are not steady and dependable.  In other words, such revenues can't be used for teacher salaries, only for one-time capital expenditures like buildings, computers, etc. 

The public has the right to play or not play the games depending upon their own self-interest.  Make the games fair and the prizes appealing and people will play more often.  It is basic capitalism at its best.

Of course the average social republicrat is not a capitalist.  He is wed to the financial needs of the state he serves.  He is dedicated to making the public pay his bills whether they want to pay or not.  That is the crux of the issue.  The slaves won't pay the freight and the masters are upset about it.

Orangeman                 

What was the source of funding for education before the lottery was instituted? Is that the system to which the taxpayers would prefer to return?

All this hoorah about funding education from lottery income is BS. Prior to the lottery, education was funded from the states' general fund. Were your state taxes reduced after the inception of the lottery due to the reduced requirements needed for education? Not likely. Those funds were diverted to other spending allocations. Kill the lottery and taxes will rise to cover the education programs the state will again be required to fund.

Sounds as though Daxson needs some management himself.

What a jack-a**, and he's a republican??????

He needs to be repealed....!

The "escalating costs" must be political contributions from tribal casino's to dump the lottery.

they cant be telling the entire story of why they really want to get rid of the lottery because oklahoma had a powerball winner in june so im sure that helped to encourage more people to play and increase revenue

The Republicans fought against the lottery from the beginning, and I imagine they were surprised and unhappy when the people voted it in by a healthy margin back in 2004.

I think the lottery has done quite well, raising over $100 million for education in a little over a year. 

It's hard to figure how any endeavor with a built-in profit of 50% can't make enough money on it to justify its existence.