Should a town that doesn't sell lottery tickets take in less lottery revenue?

Comment #11

Seattlejohn — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 19:36:03 GMT

While they definitely need to change their formula to favor those towns with higher ticket sales, here's an idea: if your town decides not to sell tickets, then they don't get any money from the state lottery funds distribution. Why should towns that opt out of ticket sales receive a percentage of the ticket revenues? Seems fundamentally inequitable to me...

Comment #10

haymaker — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 01:56:02 GMT

If based on the census then it should be adjusted accordingly.

Comment #9

Raven62 — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 15:23:07 GMT

Human Nature being What It Is: The Fine Folks of Harvard are Buying Their Lottery Tickets Somewhere! So Why Shouldn't the Town of Harvard receive their Share of the Lottery Revenue? They Should

Comment #8

Saylorgirl — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 14:36:01 GMT

In reading the article I did not see where the town was preventing the merchants from selling lottery tickets. It sounded like there are only three retail stores in the town and none of them are interested in selling the lottery.

Comment #7

NJJim — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 13:46:22 GMT

Seems to make sense in this case. Not that it has to be applied to every other facet of life. While its hard to imagine where a town would require lottery to be sold by independent merchants so it can get revenue, if you are a town that is preventing merchants from selling them, you should not reap the benefits. Every 7-11 and other convenience store that can seems to want to sell tickets.

Comment #6

Saylorgirl — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 12:50:13 GMT

That is a slippery slope! Stores should never be required to sell any particular item especially something like lottery tickets! Where would it end

Comment #5

American Indian — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 12:13:17 GMT

He Says that Massachusetts Is a Large State, Maricopa County In Arizona Is Larger than that entire State!

It's the same Big Stink AZ had when the City of Mesa, AZ put a Ban on Smoking In the entire City, you were only allowed to Smoke Inside your Home, But they could still sale Cig's everywhere an collect the Revenue Taxes for selling them. That's NOT FAIR IN EITHER OF THESE CASES IF THE TOWN DOESN'T SALE TICKETS WHY SHOULD THEY RECEIVE ANY BENEFITS FROM THE PROCEEDS? He also said It's a WELL... [ More ]

Comment #4

KY Floyd — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 02:55:35 GMT

I'm pretty confident in claiming that there's not a single village, town or city on Massachusetts that sells lottery tickets.

Of course a lot of those villages, towns and cities have stores that sell lottery tickets. Maybe the geniuses in the state legislature should pass a law requiring stores to sell lottery tickets.

Comment #3

ckrakowski — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 02:04:57 GMT

I say if you do not sell lottery tickets you should not get any revenue from it.

Harvard receives credit for population it had in the 1990s, when Fort Devens was an active duty military base.

Someone needs to say since you have less population then you did you will get less revenue then you use to.

By not accounting for ticket sales, the formula generally favors wealthier towns, where residents buy fewer tickets. Towns with high per-capita lottery spending wind up receiving... [ More ]

Comment #2

Stack47 — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 18:53:42 GMT

I don't think that's fair, said state Representative Steven Howitt, a Seekonk Republican.

But that's assuming the Harvard residents spend little or nothing on lottery tickets. The only thing obvious here is those people don't purchase lottery tickets in their town.

Every state has towns and a few stores selling a much larger than average, but that doesn't prove it's the citizens of those towns are buying all those tickets.

Comment #1

music* — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 18:41:01 GMT

Freedom of the Press. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of assembly. Plus more freedoms.

The good people of Massachusetts must exercise these rights when they want to change.

I am happy that I can read this story here on Lottery Post.

Should a town that doesn't sell lottery tickets take in less lottery revenue?

Lottery Post — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 18:11:58 GMT

A steady flow of customers pulled up to the Harvard General Store one recent afternoon, picking up groceries, beer and wine, or prepared foods like quiche lorraine and split pea and ham soup.

But lottery tickets, a lucrative staple of convenience and liquor stores in nearly every corner of Massachusetts, were nowhere to be found. In fact, the entire town forgoes the scratch-ticket business, standing on the sidelines of a nearly $5 billion enterprise.

At least when it comes to playing. One