Paul A. Buescher: Lottery’s lack of benefits
In reference to Charles Heatherly’s March 30 Point of View “The N.C. lottery’s losing numbers”: The lottery strikes me as a vast scheme preying on the residents of North Carolina.
Forty percent of the money paid into the lottery by North Carolinians is taken off the top for administration, to pay merchants and for education. Out of the 60 percent that is paid to lottery players, 30 percent is taken for taxes. This means that only a little more than 40 percent of the lottery proceeds are actually received by the people who pay into the lottery. And it is disproportionately our low-income residents who support this scheme.
Paul A. Buescher
Raleigh
This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Paul A. Buescher: Lottery’s lack of benefits."