Texas could abolish lottery

“For some of our clients that may not have had a good education around money management, they’ve always struggled to have such little dollars that getting that immediate gratification by buying that US$ 1 or US$ 2 lottery ticket can seem like a good idea. When you're living in such a marginalized existence it can seem exciting and maybe like a real possibility when we know it really, in all actuality, is not.”

Opponents also said the billions of dollars the lottery has generated for the state’s public schools are doing little to nothing in the classroom. 

Though he will not have a vote if the legislature votes on abolishing the lottery, Rep. Joaquin Castro said the state should take a close look at getting rid of the lottery, or, at the very least, provide help to those who are sacrificing their future a few dollars at a time.

“The folks that tend to buy the lottery tickets the most are lower income folks,” said Castro. “What we have to do is make sure that we set up resources in case there are folks who are literally addicted to playing the lottery in the same way that you might get addicted to playing slot machines, or poker or something else.”

In September, the Texas Lottery reported its highest annual contribution to public schools in the lottery’s history, US$ 1.2 billion. But with an annual education budget of nearly US$ 60 billion, some believe that money has little impact in Texas school districts, many of which struggle for adequate state funding on a yearly basis.

To watch this week’s hearing on the pending lottery report, click here.