Massachusetts legislators looking into fairness of lottery fund distribution

Comment #13

Soledad — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 07:12:20 GMT

Most funds from a lottery (it should be called tax, but that would hurt sales), are generally put into a general state fund. From there the money can be used for anything. All the pet causes of the lottery such as education may see no effect from its lottery s millions of dollars. Same way most don t see any effect from buying a ticket. But hey it s for entertainment right, so what s the harm. Most states would be better off without a lottery given a few years. The lottery money makes no differe... [ More ]

Comment #12

sweetie7398 — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 10:49:04 GMT

Good idea.

Comment #11

reddog — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 14:13:47 GMT

N.C. needs to be looked at also.

Comment #10

Bleudog101 — Fri, 31 May 2019 10:21:54 GMT

I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately they are still stuck in many ways to their Puritanical ways when they feel like it. For instance when the DNC was held there for Obama's first term, the DNC begged them to not have bar closures @ 0100 hours. Did they? NO! Just this past week they did allow the yet to open Encore Casino in Everett (next to Boston) to serve alcohol until 0400. Yet they can be on the forefront for healthcare coverage and same sex marriage, both firsts in this country...like I s... [ More ]

Comment #9

dannyct — Fri, 31 May 2019 02:39:40 GMT

Massachusetts should follow New York's example and introduce an online subscription service. It would be very convenient for subscribers and raise additional revenue.

Comment #8

Bleudog101 — Thu, 30 May 2019 14:52:39 GMT

A little off subject. Some months ago had written a letter to the State Treasurer Deb Goldberg. Usual experience is an actual letter vs. an email usually gets a response. She's all for on-line lottery like we have here in KY and wrote to say that is the way to go. No response whatsoever from her or their office. So perhaps the formula for dispersion needs to be updated

Comment #7

dpoly1 — Thu, 30 May 2019 12:49:10 GMT

Everything is not fair LOL

Comment #6

cottoneyedjoe — Wed, 29 May 2019 23:25:39 GMT

This raises an interesting point. At least a few people from that town must play the lottery and are forced to buy them in nearby towns and cities. And people who live in one locale and commute to another for work probably buy them in the city where they work just as much as (if not more than) where they live. Similarly, people who live outside of Boston probably buy them in Boston when they are visiting for tourism.

A fair distribution of funds must take into account not only where the ticke... [ More ]

Comment #5

CDanaT — Wed, 29 May 2019 22:03:37 GMT

BD, I can only relay to you what is reported by the commission.

https://www.tnlottery.com/sites/default/files/2019-01/FY18%20TN%20Lottery%20Annual%20Report%20Highlights_0.pdf

It does not appear that the commission gives back to the general fund in any publication, just the education fund of the state budget, I have found at this time. They allegedly did $1.73 Billion in total sales for 2018. Out of that $1.09 Billion was awarded in Prizes back to the players, $421.7 Million was for all fu... [ More ]

Comment #4

brees2012 — Wed, 29 May 2019 19:49:41 GMT

Why does some States win more than other States ????

Noticed this a lot

Comment #3

Bleudog101 — Wed, 29 May 2019 17:49:15 GMT

Though this article does not address it, a couple of years ago the same thing crept up. One small town didn't even have a lottery seller in it, yet got $$ just the same and they were upset about that. The concept is to benefit all 351 towns and cities in Massachusetts.

What does Tennessee do with their lottery ticket profits?? CDana can enlighten me on that; our lottery is much larger than yours will ever be.

Comment #2

music* — Wed, 29 May 2019 13:28:59 GMT

These problems are being solved by representatives of the people there in Massachusetts and not by Washington D.C.

As far as I know the elections have been free and fair. Now the politicians want fair distributions of the lottery proceeds.

Massachusetts lottery players spend a lot of money on the games. They might be #1 in the ranks of who spends more.

Comment #1

CDanaT — Wed, 29 May 2019 12:25:10 GMT

The liberal Democratic bastion of Massachusetts is upset over the income redistribution program ? How can this be ? After all you voted for this puppy and its creation. It was your job to maintain it properly. This is what liberal redistribution is all about. The Cash Cow never running dry, getting your fair share , right ? Look at the Representatives complaining. What letter do they all share in common? Looks like a D to me. Now you want to study the distribution of general aid in Mass, includi... [ More ]

Massachusetts legislators looking into fairness of lottery fund distribution

Lottery Post — Wed, 29 May 2019 12:00:47 GMT

Massachusetts residents have been playing the lottery for nearly 50 years, enjoying both the risk and the benefits their towns and cities see. But some legislators are worried certain communities are getting more out of the game than others.

Every year, about 20% of the revenue the state lottery rakes in is distributed to the 351 towns and cities, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery's website. In 2018, the lottery returned $997 million to the state, which was the second-highest total... [ More ]