Michael Nelson

In the following viewpoint, Michael Nelson argues that state governments should not use lotteries as means of generating nontax revenues. According to Nelson, lotteries are extremely regressive, since poor people purchase the majority of lottery tickets. Furthermore, he argues, state governments quickly become dependent on lottery revenues, and begin advertising programs to encourage more people to play the lottery. In Nelson’s opinion, these campaigns are unethical because they encourage gambling and thus discourage hard work, saving, and investment. Michael Nelson is a professor of political science at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and the coauthor of Governing Gambling: Politics and Policy in State, Tribe, and Nation.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What percent of the nation’s population lives in states with lotteries, according to the author?
2. What statistics does...