Now, sadly, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers wants to double down on this losing bet with an even more dangerous and exploitive proposal: legalized sports betting. No wonder faith in government has declined. Meanwhile, thanks to incessant and ubiquitous advertising, lottery ads – a frequently charming con that urges people to throw away their money on the microscopic chance of winning big prizes – has become the most visible means by which state government communicates with its citizenry. Not only have thousands of North Carolinians of modest means thrown away huge sums on losing bets, but per-pupil education funding has steadily declined as lawmakers quickly learned how to redirect dollars that the regressive lottery tax was supposed to supplement rather than supplant. Indeed, lottery ads still promote this fiction. The lottery – which became law in 2005 after surviving some close and sketchy votes in the General Assembly – was sold to lawmakers and the public as harmless entertainment that would provide a magical boon to the state’s public schools. North Carolina elected leaders have enacted several ineffective and misleading laws over the years, but when it comes to undermining public confidence in government and taking advantage of vulnerable people, the badly misnamed “education lottery” has to be near the bottom of any “worst of” list.
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