When you buy a lottery ticket through a state lottery, part of that money goes into some kind of savings/retirement account.

Or perhaps a new kind of lottery, where most of the money goes into some saving account, but there are jackpots that you stand a chance at winning.
-- lawpoop, Aug 28 2003

The Anti-Lottery http://www.halfbake.../The_20Anti-Lottery
Closely related idea by [dbsousa] [krelnik, Oct 04 2004]

C'mon, dammit! No fishbones without a critique!
-- lawpoop, Aug 28 2003


whose savings account?
-- po, Aug 28 2003


Ever heard of Ernie and Premium Bonds?

When you buy Premium Bonds in the UK you get a number for each bond and on a regular basis Ernie, a computer that has become low-tech with the passage of time, picks the numbers to which prizes are awarded. At any time you can cash in your bonds for the same value you paid for them or claim whatever winnings you have accrued.
-- Aristotle, Aug 28 2003


Bad at math tax should apply to all of those who are bad at math. I have no sympathy for the math-inhibited and feel that every single cent of their hard-earned cash should be burned as soon as they purchase a ticket.

OTOH, I am running a new lottery and offering a GUARANTEE of a 50% return. You will be absolutely GUARANTEED that at least 50% of your money will be returned to you. Ticket purchases of over $1000.00 US will be GUARANTEED a return rate of 65%. Ticket purchases of $10,000.00 US, or more, will be GUARANTEED a return of 75%. send your credit card information to imasucker@yahoo.com
-- ato_de, Aug 28 2003


Why is it "dirty?"
-- bristolz, Aug 28 2003


Schools were supposed to benefit, but somehow, the money never makes it that far in most states I've read about. Here in Michigan, we call it 'the stupid tax.'
-- RayfordSteele, Aug 28 2003


Well, if the government makes something illegal and then turns around and does the same thing, taking advantage of people's misconceptions about probability, that's dirty.

[lp] How would this be implemented? What incentive would a state have to reduce their profits?
-- grip, Aug 29 2003


Lottery Investment, government organization, jumbo shrimp...
-- half, Aug 29 2003


There is no incentive for the State whatsoever in that scheme and here is a more efficient way of improving your pension: Do not play and save the money.

However, i don't think that lottery money should be called dirty. See what they do with it in the UK. Lottery money is used for culture (although i think a great deal of it was wasted on the ill-conceived Millenium Dome in London). It being dirty depends on what you do with it in my humble opinion.
-- cosmocrator, Aug 29 2003


This seems darn close to being redundant to [dbsousa]'s idea I linked. Second opinion?
-- krelnik, Aug 29 2003


[krelink] The linked idea is an educational measure, while the current idea is just advocacy to save the stupid from themselves.
-- ato_de, Aug 29 2003



random, halfbakery