March 2, 2017
State Budget calls for $3 million in Lottery Advertising
Governor Walker’s 2017-19 budget calls for increasing annual lottery advertising spending by $3 million to $10.5 million. That’s a 40% boost in funding for advertising aimed at increasing lottery sales. This advertising comes at a cost that can be measured in tax dollars spent and the devastating impact of gambling on Wisconsin families.
People play the lottery hoping to improve their financial situation. Gambling is a zero sum game that creates no new wealth – it’s a redistribution system. In the case of the lottery, it most often takes money from those who have the least to spare.
At one time, government encouraged citizens to save their money, by investing it in municipal and savings bonds to improve their financial conditions. Today, government actively encourages citizens to gamble. For government to win, its citizens must lose. This is a predatory practice with very clear consequences.
