Get rid of Powerball and MegaMillions in Ohio???

[gmartin]

I had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day about how so many Toledo schools are closing and how several of my friends whom are teachers have lost their jobs. My friend works for the State of Ohio Auditor's office and she told me something that I think is real interesting and wasn't sure if many people are aware.

Where as a portion of Ohio Lottery sales goes towards education (Pick 3, Pick 4, Rolling Cash 5, Super Lotto, etc) the Mega Millions and Power Ball lottery DOES NO go towards education. She went on to tell me that ever since Ohio started being a member state of PowerBall and MegaMillions that schools have struggled. Schools are not getting the state funding as they were 5 to 10 years ago because the state is not bringing in as much lottery sales as more people are simply only playing PowerBall and MegaMillions.

She then went on and said the Ohio Super Lotto which starts out as 1 million and grows weekly if no one wins the prize, which we all know how it works. No one has won the Super Lotto since before Thanksgiving (not sure if anyone one it the last couple days). When we had talked it had only grown to 22 million in 4 months. Simply put, If Ohioans didn't have the option of Mega or PowerBall this jackpot would be considerably higher.

Since people are not playing the Ohio Lottery games and selecting the multi-state games we are not generating money for education. Schools have consolidated and closed throughout Indiana as well. I think maybe it is time to get rid of the muli-state lottery games. Some schools in Indy have upwards to 50 to 60 students per class as schools are closing. Teachers are let go because the funding simply isn't there.

Toledo has closed schools. Thinking about building mega schools for K-8, having students bring their own lunches. Schools no longer have art, gym, music teachers. Kids need to pay to play sports. We had problems 10 years ago but not this bad. If the lottery isn't generating money because of these multi-state games then I think it is time to get rid of them.

[Class of 61]

GMartin,
As a retired educator,I found your post to be rather "illuminating" to say the least. Was not aware that the "Biggie" games monies weren't being put into education....

My only question is this.... then where IS this money going? We have a Governor and a state legislature seemingly bent on destroying bargaining rights for public employees..Ohio is supposed to have a huge deficit staring it in the face, in the BILLIONS of dollars...So where in the heck is this money going...and for what purpose? I know and understand the 'multi-state' thing means the "profits' from the lottery are shared, but what is OHIO's share? And what the heck is being done with those funds?

[hammb]

I'm with '61.

The problem isn't the participation in the multi-state games. Those insanely large jackpots bring forth more players. I bet there are more people in Ohio playing the mega millions, for instance, than would play if it was only the old fashioned super lotto. That leads me to believe Ohio is probably bringing in as much, or more, in total lottery revenue by participating in the multi-state games.

The issue is why isn't that money tabbed for education? It probably should be.

Of course I think lottery funding education is always a bit of a farce anyways. Every dollar the schools get from the lottery is just a dollar they lose from other funding avenues. Overall I'm sure the money the state government is bringing in from the multi state games is larger than what it would be bringing in if they only stuck with their own single state game. The issue is how that money is appropriated.

[gmartin]

This is what I was told and I truly trust everything my friend has told me as she works very closely within the State auditor's office. When we had the old lottery system, before the MegaMillions and Powerball, and just the SuperLotto, the state needed to sell approx 2.26 million tickets to make the one million dollar jacket. Of that 2.26 million dollar revenues money was set aside for education, road repairs, help reduce lower state taxes, a lower gas tax, just to name a few. So in order for a winner to win a 5 million dollar jackpot the state actually sold a little over 11 million in ticket sales. This would be similar to a 50/50 drawing at a BGSU sporting event, where the athletic department collects 50 percents and the winner gets 50 percent. Where as with the SuperLotto, 5 million would go to a winner and 6 million to the state, with a portion to go to education.

Now, with these Mega drawings, whereas Ohio needed to sell 2.26 million for each 1 million in jackpot money, the MegMillion only needs needs 1.1 million per every million and Powerball is less. Bottom line, MegaMillions and Powerball makes very little profit. Now divide that up by all states participating and each state gets very little. And with everyone abandoning the state lottery the state isn't pulling any money in for education.

I think we need to get rid of the Mega Drawings or have the government step in and raise the requirements on these Mega Drawings. Make the Mega Drawings need to sell 2.25 million in tickets for every 1 million in jackpot winnings. Now maybe they are collecting more money than what is reported on the audits and if that is the case then the question again can be asked, 1here is the money going?? But from what I was told MegaMillions and Powerball make very little money. I guess 100,000 on every million does add up but when Ohio made 1.2 million for every million it really doesn't compare.

[Tech83]

"The Ohio Constitution established in 1987 the Lottery Profits Education Fund, which may be used only
for the support of elementary, secondary, vocational and special education programs. Ohio Lottery funds
consistently represent roughly 5 percent of the total operating funds for these schools."

"In fiscal year 2005, the appropriation to the Lottery Profits Education Fund was $639.9 million. Of that
amount, $606.2 million was designated to support base-cost funding, which includes such items as basic
aid, special education weighted funding, vocational education weighted funding and educational service
centers. The balance of the appropriation was designated for the retirement of bonds used to support
school construction. "

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/.../Docum ... ntID=18743

There are 613 school districts in Ohio. The money can only be spent in certain ways..... it is controlled. So lotto funding can't be used to repair a leaking roof.

This is going to a bit of a rant......... but I am vehemently opposed to the lottery and to the casinos/gambling as any means to fund public education. I realize that many younger Ohioans (and other citizens across america) think this is a grand way to increase funding for schools. But they ignore the social and economic problems that gambling and casinos bring. Guess what..... casinos are isolated businesses. They DO NOT feed into the local economy. Local restaurants and hotels will NOT see an increase in business. There is solid research to support this.

".......the average net revenue for every SGC video slot machines, during the 9 month period ending on June 30, 2010, was $53,863. Extrapolating this for a 12 month period it would be $71,800. Therefore every three video slot games will suck $215,400 in discretionary spending out of our economy that could have been spent at other area businesses such as the local dry cleaners or the butcher shop, the bowling alley or local food and beverage operations. Business owners respond to reduced volume by laying people off or cutting back hours of the existing employees in order to reduce costs."

http://www.buffalorising.com/2011/02/ca ... ustry.html

But please..... look at the numbers.... 5%..... FIVE PERCENT! So instead of paying an additional $50 to $200 annually on your real estate tax.... you'd rather spend thousands..... which a majority will NOT go to the state, but to the casino owners.

Let me put it in simplest terms..... The rich do not play the Lottery. The rich do not go to casinos looking to change their fortunes in life. This is simply a backdoor way to double tax the poor.

I have a friend that is on the school board for one of the top 3 school districts here in Dayton (and one of the top districts in Ohio). He went down to the Lebanon Raceway to review the situation first-hand prior to the Casino election. He was disillusioned to say the least. As he said, these are not the people or the method to raise funds for education.

My mother plays the Lottery..... If she had just saved the money she spend on the Lottery and Bingo (the other seedy gambling permitted in Ohio) through out her life, she would be financially secure...... she is not. I went through the numbers with her a couple of months ago..... and I calculated $3-4K she spends on the lotto annual - who knows what she spent on bingo. At the end of my father's life, I came to learn about this issue and the stress it put on my father. What my mother spends in one week on the lotto would cover her increased tax bill.

So... the answer for so many people seems to build casinos and sell lottery tickets to fund education...... I guess the bake sale idea just didn't fleece enough people or damage the local economy enough. I don't gamble.... I don't play the lottery.... and I it is HIGHLY unlikely that i'll get struck by lightning.

[Flipper]

I don't think people gamble to get rich...they gamble because they like to gamble. If only the "poor" went to casinos, there wouldn't be enough money in the proposition to keep building them.

[transfer2BGSU]

The lottery is not the solution to the problem of funding education in Ohio. The problem is the people of Ohio do not want to pay for education.

Cincinnati and Hamilton County voted down numerous school levies because they raised property taxes. Yet they had no problem voting for the construction of two new facilities for the Reds and Bengals to replace Riverfront Stadium. And those two new facilities were constructed on monies raised by......property taxes.

We have TOO MANY school districts in Ohio - 613!

The problem won't be fixed until we decide we'e ready to spend the money necessary to fix it. Unfortunately when that time comes, it will be way more expensive than what it would cost now (and a lot less if we had done something 20 years ago).

[footballguy51]

Another big problem with funding education in Ohio is that it is currently being done in an unconstitutional way. It has been found (numerous times I believe) that the current funding of the state's education system is unconstitutional. We need to find a better way of doing it; one that is constitutional. Perhaps the public would feel better about it then.

[JoeFalcon]

The lottery is not the solution to the problem of funding education in Ohio. The problem is the people of Ohio do not want to pay for education.

Cincinnati and Hamilton County voted down numerous school levies because they raised property taxes. Yet they had no problem voting for the construction of two new facilities for the Reds and Bengals to replace Riverfront Stadium. And those two new facilities were constructed on monies raised by......property taxes.

That what it comes down to. There is money for what people want, and as much as they would never admit it, entertainment is valued more than education.

School sports and extracurriculars are extremely valuable and serve an important educational purpose, but they are not the primary reason schools exist. The number one priority should be academics. In my opinion, sports and extracurriculars should go before any English, History, Math, Science or Special Education teacher is laid off in any district. If the towns want to fund them individually, so be it, but what's the point of having JV soccer and the audiovisual club when someone can't read, write or do basic math?

In a perfect world an infinite number of opportunities would be availible for students, but in these times you have to revert to what the basic function of a school should be. Is it a glorified town rec center or an institution of learning?

Let me also say that there is an enormous amount of waste in educational spending, and 95% of it is at the administrative level having virtually nothing to do with teachers, teaching or kids.

One district I know of in New York is getting a few thousand bucks of federal money, and over half of it will be spent exclusively on getting a bunch of worthless new administrative policies written and implemented, including travel costs to Albany for mandatory conferences. It's simply galling what they choose to prioritize and spend money on.

[Falconfreak90]

Another big problem with funding education in Ohio is that it is currently being done in an unconstitutional way. It has been found (numerous times I believe) that the current funding of the state's education system is unconstitutional. We need to find a better way of doing it; one that is constitutional. Perhaps the public would feel better about it then.

That's my biggest beef. These clowns in Cbus need to FIX the system. I guarantee you if the legislators' pay was frozen until they fixed the funding issue, it would be fixed yesterday. How many times does it have to be ruled unconstitutional???

Just do it....

[NWLB]

I'd rather folks complain more about regulating "internet sweepstakes cafes."

Also, I'd like lotto players to have to use a separate check-out line so they would stop stammering like idiots at gas stations, trying to select their scratch-off crack.

[Warthog]

I'd rather folks complain more about regulating "internet sweepstakes cafes."

Did you know one is open in BG?

[Falcon Fanatic]

I'd rather folks complain more about regulating "internet sweepstakes cafes."

Did you know one is open in BG?

Is that the one where the police came in and seized the gambling machines?
http://www.sent-trib.com/front-page/bg- ... m-business

[Warthog]

I'd rather folks complain more about regulating "internet sweepstakes cafes."

Did you know one is open in BG?

Is that the one where the police came in and seized the gambling machines?
http://www.sent-trib.com/front-page/bg- ... m-business

There are two then! I saw that in the paper. The other of the one that got busted even references the other one in the story. I was thinking of the one on Napoleon Rd, like south of South Side 6.

[transfer2BGSU]

There are two then! I saw that in the paper. The other of the one that got busted even references the other one in the story. I was thinking of the one on Napoleon Rd, like south of South Side 6.

Where the BG Drive-Thru used to be (Napoleon and S. College)?