
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990                   TAG: 9004250546
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

STATE LOTTERY A COSTLY KIND OF ENTERTAINMENT

I WOULD like to respond to the recent article by Kenneth Thorson, the director of the Virgina Lottery. Seems like the only thing he can say for the lottery is that it is entertainment. I would say this is some kind of costly way for Virginians to entertain themselves.

My thinking is that the lottery is bad for people, bad for business, and bad for the state of Virginia. These millions of dollars collected by the state go into a gamblers' "slush" fund, and out of the normal channel of commerce.

However, what Thorson says is that every time a person spends a dollar bill for a ticket, that person is being amused and entertained. I guess the entertainment comes when the staid state of Virginia laughs all the way to the bank. I expect Thorson laughs too.

I just couldn't believe it when the people of Virginia voted the lottery into our conservative state. Now, I have the very simple answer: that is, to be entertained. But really I find that hard to believe.

The Roanoke Times & World-News was against the lottery, but now you give two of your reporters $100 each to prove what I already knew, and everyone must know: The lottery is a boondoggle and a farce. The only thing it really does is to part the people and their hard-earned money. Nothing about it is amusing to me. It is a shame that our people had to stoop so low. C.G. STINNETTE JR. HUDDLESTON

by CNB