On March 5, an 81-year-old Newport woman embraced her son and daughter-in-law in sheer, uncontrollable delight. In her frail but resolute hand, she grasped the winning ticket for the Powerball jackpot, valued at $336.4 million. Louise White, now a millionaire, is in the midst of reformulating her plans for the future, much to the chagrin of the Rhode Island Lottery. It is heartwarming stories like these that preclude many from seeing the less publicized, damaging consequences of the state's obsession with gambling. A recent analysis by the Tax Foundation shows that Rhode Island boasts the highest per-capita lottery spending in the country by far. This figure is extremely troubling, and Rhode Island needs to reassess how gambling is hurting working-class citizens.
The Tax Foundation asserts that the lottery, especially in Rhode Island, acts as a form of regressive tax - the poorer citizens of Rhode Island spend, in real terms, considerably more on the lottery than the middle-class and upper-class players. In a previous editorial, we mentioned that Rhode Island consistently ranks in the top 10 for its proportional homeless population, exacerbating the woes of being a low-income Rhode Islander.
The lottery is, quite simply, an attractive sell - invest a dollar or two and win a fortune. The investment, in the minds of many, is a no-brainer. It is unsurprising that so many lower-income Rhode Islanders place a tangible proportion of their income into the lottery. With the unfavorable conditions that they may already face, including finding affordable housing and employment, lower-income Rhode Islanders view the lottery as an embodiment of a real yet ultimately unsustainable hope.
The lottery and gambling will always exist as long as people are willing to engage in them. Rhode Island, no thanks to Louise White, will continue to thrive from the service. However, we advise Rhode Island to reiterate its ethical values and take its own big risk by promoting a conscious awareness of the lottery's positives and negatives, instead of highlighting it as the false savior to do all and end all.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
