Is state gambling a tax on the poor?

[Jon Miller]

it is called a sin tax for a reason...

JM

[Lancer]

"and what about tax on cigars? is it a tax on pleasure? "

No, that's an unfair tax on manhood. If they tax cigars then I demand an equal tax on tampons!

Jon, its a sin tax because its bad for people so taxing it is a good thing because it helps people to quit. Also, it helps offset the huge cost to the health system of all the dying smokers who can't pay their bills.

[MarkG]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
it is called a sin tax for a reason...

are you talking about the tax on condoms now?

[MarkG]

Originally posted by Lancer
No, that's an unfair tax on manhood. If they tax cigars then I demand an equal tax on tampons!

women smoke cigars too you know and i'm almost sure about men and tampons! so i dont think that's entirely fair.....

[Lancer]

I don't know where you get your stats Markos, very few men smoke tampons.

[Lancer]

Then again if Clinton taught us nothing else its that women use cigars as tampons so maybe...

[chequita guevara]

One should also remember that when you buy a lottery ticket, you get to have fun fantasizing about what you'd do with all that money.

[Az]

yeah, but is that really beneficial? After the fun there's always a down, i think.

But, once again, people are going to do it, better take action and have the money earned go to beneficial purposes ( state gambling rather than private one)

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Perhaps, but they are the idiots who waste their money.

I prefer it to be a tax on idiocy, just that the poor have more of that .

The poor don't have more idiocy, they just can't afford to have it the way that the rich can.

[chequita guevara]

They should use it to fund the military instead, and take away the military's regular funding.

[Az]

I don't think that the gamling industry in the US makes 400 Billion USD.

[chequita guevara]

Exactly.

[Lul Thyme]

Around here, in casinos at least, the rich gamble at least as much as the poor, if not more.
I agree that lottery tickets is different though.

[chequita guevara]

Gambling is entertainment, just very expensive entertainment. It's effects on local communities is very dire, however. In the Midwest, the introduction of riverboat gambling began a decline in local economies, as money went into the casinos and didn't come back out.

[Dr Strangelove]

Why not put a limit on the amount an individual can contribute to the lottery industry? A player would have to present some sort of legal identification when purchasing a ticket. The vendor would be hooked up to a network that keeps track of purchases. When a player exceeded his annual limit he'd be denied further lottery purchases for that year. In order to be effective there would have to be a national network.