Destinee Caster
Abstract
Texans believe that participating in the Texas Lottery helps the Texas Education Foundation but little do they know; how much money actually goes to the Texas Education Foundation. The effect of the Texas Lottery is causing more of a negative impact on Texans than the Education Foundation is benefiting.
The Texas Lottery negatively impacts the people that play the lottery and the programs that are supposed to benefit from the proceeds. Because of the big dream of winning, the lottery has taken a toll on Texans. “People believe that the Texas Lottery is their only chance to strike it rich” (Buckland, 2010). There is not near enough money going towards the Texas Education Foundation. When the lottery first started, the Texas Education Foundation was promised to benefit much more than they are now. Since 1996, the money raised for the Texas Education Foundation paid for two weeks of schooling but today it has plummeted greatly to only paying close to three days of schooling (Dexheimer, 2010). The outcome of the lottery is not what was projected. The current cash flow does not match the projections for the education fund as when the lottery was first initiated. “Last year, the lottery sold nearly $700 million more tickets than in 1998 – and gave schools $160 million less” (Dexheimer, 2010).
The Texas Lottery is negatively impacting the poor and uneducated population. The Texas Lottery demographic studies provide contradictory information concerning the games and the profits benefiting the Texas Education Foundation, and prey on the poor (Turner, 2012). Statistics show the difference in
average money gambled between the educated and uneducated population. “College graduates spent a median ten dollars a month; those without high school diplomas, $25” (Turner, 2012). This research proves the negative social impact of the Texas Lottery. “In one of the most depressing, ever perpetuating social
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