Public Gambling Politicians used to use the police and the courts to shut down private gambling, but now it's their favorite way to gather revenues, former Cato Institute Senior Fellow Julian Simon has reported. Nothing has changed as to whether or not betting is bad or sinful, he said. What has changed is that government gets the revenues instead of small-business people. The states do not simply offer their product to the public. They promote hard.
Lottery advertisements are beguilingly seductive, and misleading to boot.
You expect to pay taxes, and don't complain to your new boss when they are withheld. People expect to pay taxes, and I think that the lottery was very up-front with people that they would have to pay taxes on this jackpot. Barbara Anderson said that gambling is a good way for the state to raise revenue because it's non-coercive. But this is about a larger issue, which is truth in advertising. They should have to advertise the jackpot as the amount you get after taxes.