A first-of-its-kind, nationwide investigation of state lotteries by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found that stores that sell tickets are disproportionately clustered in lower-income communities in every state.
Mega Billions
Stores cash customers’ checks, then sell them lottery tickets
At All Checks Cashed in Everett, Massachusetts, a red neon sign beckons customers to cash their checks, pay utilities and try their luck with scores of lottery tickets.
About “Mega Billions: The great lottery wealth transfer”
In the popular imagination, the lottery is a harmless amusement in which people spend a few dollars on a Powerball ticket when the jackpot gets big. Data journalists and reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University…
State lotteries transfer wealth out of needy communities
WARREN, Mich. — While the growing expansion of casinos and state-sanctioned sports betting steal the spotlight, state lotteries have nearly doubled in size over the past two decades, driving a multibillion-dollar wealth transfer from low-income U.S. communities to powerful multinational…
State lottery advertising tells players half of the story
State lotteries spend more than a half-billion dollars a year on pervasive marketing campaigns designed to persuade people to play often, spend more and overlook the long odds of winning.
Scientific Games’ lottery playbook succeeded, then spread
The growth of the lottery business nationwide was inspired in large part by the lobbying innovations of a single multinational gambling company, Scientific Games Holdings LP.
State lotteries are increasingly ceding control to multinational firms
Lottery systems nationwide are evolving into quasi-privatized operations, with state governments assuming an oversight role while private companies reap millions running this sophisticated form of gambling.