40 Million? Chickenfeed....A Little NY Lottery History...wait until it is at least 200 mill or so...

I was brought up mostly as a Methodist attending Church in Evanston, Illinois where they taught us we must never smoke, drink or gamble. I signed a pledge not to do this until 21 years old when the confirmed me at 13 ( why until 21? I  can't remember).

It didn't matter a couple of years later because my parents had switched their minds once again and we were attending a Congregationalist Church in Wilmette, IL. 

Congregationalists liked to send canned goods and clothes to needy people and have people of other religious outlooks come and talk to the young people of the Church about their beliefs and customs.  So other kids came with their Torah scrolls, lectures on the importance of memorizing the Bible Chapter and Verse, and various other points of view. I kept waiting for some Baha'i kids to come because the beautiful Baha'i Temple was in Wilmette, but they never did. 

Anyway, the only part of my Methodist upbringing that has remained steadfastly with me is that I do not gamble, except for playing penny a point poker once or twice much later in Life.
Someone once told me that because I had played the stock market I HAD been gambling but I just suspected this person of being a provocative non believer who liked to needle anyone he thought had any religious values at all.

I stopped drinking finally about 20 years ago and then smoking. I started becoming more of a vegetarian. I became more interested in exercise, without any doctor telling me to. 

I think the Lottery is a scam, a stealth tax on poor people.

Of course, the local delicatessen places around here would not survive except for the amount of lottery tickets of all kinds that they sell.

Here is a bit about the NY State Lottery, which started very timidly and then grew explosively after after about 2003 or so as I remember. That's about when the TV and other ads became so aggressive ( and so clever).

Prior to the 20th century, lotteries were used in New York to raise revenue for non-educational needs. New York City Hall was built in part with lottery proceeds. Other lotteries helped build and repair canals, roads, ferries, and bridges. Lotteries also were held for non-public needs. They helped develop New York City's manufacturing industries. Churches were built, rebuilt, or improved, with lottery funds.
On November 8, 1966, New Yorkers voted to approve a constitutional amendment authorizing a government-run lottery. The referendum passed with over 60% in favor. The proceeds of the Lottery were to be "applied exclusively to, or in aid or support of, education." In 1967, the New York Legislature created a Division of the Lottery and a Lottery Commission within the Department of Taxation and Finance. The Lottery later became an autonomous unit within the Department of Taxation and Finance. Under the New York State Lottery for Education Law, the Director of the Division of the Lottery has full authority over the administration of the Lottery.
The Lottery began in 1967; its first slogan was "Your Chance of a Lifetime to Help Education". It has generated over $34 billion in aid to education revenue.
Sales were suspended for about nine months in 1975-76 due to a scandal.
An agreement between Mega Millions and Powerball was reached in October 2009. All lotteries then with either game were allowed to sell tickets for both games beginning January 31, 2010.
Players must be at least 18 (including video lottery); however, the minimum is 21 for Quick Draw (a keno game drawn four minutes apart) where alcohol is served.
Lottery winnings are subject to state and Federal income taxes. New York City and Yonkers residents also are subject to local income taxes.
Despite it being the US lottery with the highest sales, the New York Lottery has been increasingly criticized for offering low payout percentages (and not allowing scratch-game winners of annuitized prizes a cash option.) This is especially true for the jackpot game NY Lotto, which has the lowest payout (40%) of an American lottery game. (In the 2011-12 fiscal year, sales of NY Lotto were down almost 15% from the previous 12 months; its minimum rollovers are now only $300,000 annuity.) Unlike many lotteries, NY winners of annuity prizes for "instant games" cannot choose lump sum in lieu of periodic payments, including those with a fixed annuity stream (usually 20 annual payments)[1], although it has been gradually phasing in scratch games with lump-sum prizes of at least $1,000,000.
On February 1, 2013, the New York Lottery's operations were merged with that of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board to form the New York State Gaming Commission.

You know the odds of lightning striking you are greater than your chances of winning the Lottery. But what is it they say, people would shrivel up without their illusions sometimes? And who can resist the "Little Bit of Luck" Lottery nerds they have as TV ads now?