Don’t bow to casinos, bars on lottery, too

Vernon Pechous, Henderson

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | 2:02 a.m.

First, bar owners were against the anti-smoking law, saying it has hurt business. I wonder if that law made fewer people go to casinos or to fly into Las Vegas. All businesses are losing money. Could it just be that the economy is down because of the recession?

The majority of people in 2006 voted for this anti-smoking law, so how can a select few — members of the Nevada Legislature — have the right to change it?

Now some of the casinos and bars say there should not be a statewide lottery, contending that it would hurt their bottom line.

Another argument some make against a state lottery is that it is a tax on stupidity. I still think lots of people would dream of winning a couple of million by spending a dollar. As one state legislator pointed out, lottery players tend to be middle-income people and are not the type of people who gamble in casinos.

Regarding the argument that poor people would rather buy lottery tickets than food for their families, I see those same people putting food money in machines at casinos and bars.

A lottery would benefit the educational system — not for salary increases but for school construction, books, new teachers to reduce class sizes, scholarships and financial aid — and is a good reason to pass this bill. Maybe even 1 percent to 2 percent of net profits could be put toward the state’s “rainy day fund.”