Need money for the holidays, just play the lottery...

If only it was that easy. I have been seeing commercials lately from the Ohio Lottery Commission. They are advertising the holiday lottery games. What bothers me is the way they do it. It comes across that if you need extra cash for the holidays just play the lottery. Or give them as gifts so your loved ones will get the cash. I like how they also throw in that you are helping fund education in Ohio by playing. So the solution to our crumbling school systems in this state is to buy more lottery tickets? I am so out of the loop here. I could not find 2006 or 2007 data but for 2005 Ohioians spent an average of $190.20 per person on lottery products. Think about that. I don't play any of the lottery games. I know a lot of people who never play. So by process of elimination that means the people who do play are spending way more than that every year. These are the people you see every time you stop at any corner store or gas station. The ones huddled in a corner scratching off tickets or standing in line just salivating at another chance to throw what little money they have away.

What really bothers me about the whole lottery thing is the hypocrisy of it. It is gambling. Pure and simple. So why can't we take the next logical step and add casinos? What is the difference between my buying a lottery ticket or playing blackjack? Oh I forgot. I actually have better odds of winning at blackjack...