Gambling for Education

Here is a letter I mailed to The Daily Oklahoman concerning the upcoming vote regarding Governor Henry’s Gambling for Education proposition:

Oklahoma voters are being bombarded with commercials admonishing us to vote for SQ 705 and 706 to create a state lottery. According to these spots, this lottery will save our schools, hopefully much better than liquor by the drink and parimutuel gambling. What they don’t tell you is the impact the lottery will have on the local economy. For every dollar spent on the lottery, that’s one less dollar that goes to a local retailer, which pays for such things as salaries and health benefits. For every dollar spent on the lottery in Oklahoma City, that’s 3.875 cents that doesn’t go to the city in sales tax, which pays for such things as policemen, firemen, etc. It’s also 4.5 cents that the state loses in sales tax, which supports a myriad of state programs. A vote for the lottery may be a vote for funding education, but it’s also a vote against funding our local retailers, and our police and fire departments.