Gambling Action Alert

Don't Gamble Away Education on the Lottery

May 26, 2006

This week the Governor placed a bet to change the way we educate our children and fund education. The Governor proposed selling or leasing the Illinois Lottery for $10 billion.

People were fooled once when they voted to legalize the Lottery. This 30-year gamble on education has not solved the problem of funding schools in Illinois.

Gambling is an unstable source of revenue. The only way a private company can make more money is to greatly expand the Lottery electronically in every community-Keno, Video Lottery Terminals, and Internet sales. Video Lottery Terminals (electronic machine gambling) has been called the "Crack Cocaine of Gambling" because of the speed by which people become addicted.

A study on State Lotteries for the National Gambling Impact Study Commission found the top 5 percent of people who played the Lottery accounted for 54% of the sales. "Males, blacks, high-school dropouts, and people in the lowest-income category are heavily over-represented among those who are in the top 20 percent of lottery players."(Clotfeter, Cook, Edell & Moore, Duke University, April 23, 1999, p. 13)

Our forefathers worked and fought so that we might have freedom. We must not gamble away the future of our children on a Lottery.

For Immediate Action

Call the Governor (800-642-3112) and tell him not to gamble away our children's education.
Call your State Representative and State Senator (217-782-2000) and tell them selling or leasing the Lottery will lead to an expansion of gambling (Keno, Video Lottery Terminals, Internet Lottery)
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