Utah lottery, a gamble Idaho can't lose

By Gregory Aullman

April 28, 2008 | FRANKLIN, Idaho -- With all the complaints about taxes and recession, the Idaho Lottery continues to post strong numbers. People who complain about paying money to the government when Utah schools need more are able to find enough to fork over to get a chance at the big payoff.

As Steven Schwab, a Utah State University student, said, "It's the American dream. Getting something big in exchange for little effort or money applied."

It seems a stark contrast, the staunch religiosity of Utah clashing with the gambling rights of Idaho, and yet the La Tienda store in Franklin remains one of Idaho's lottery hotspots.

The word "gambling" denotes some risk and as Logan native Meg Falor said, "Gambling is a very dangerous thing to get involved with. People get addicted and ruin their lives and their families lives over it."

Back in 1986 when Idaho first voted to legalize gambling, its state Supreme Court overturned the decision, stating that citizens could not change law simply by voting an option in. The Court said that such a vote would need to go before legislation, and then back to the people in order to be valid. In 1988 the Idaho Legislature passed a constitutional amendment that went before the voting electorate. The second vote to legalize gambling passed by the slimmest of margins, getting 51 percent of the needed amount to turn it into law.

That was all that the lottery needed, and it was off and running as Idaho become the fastest state to go from the vote to the implementation of lottery sellers. The record-setting set up process took only 200 days, and on July 19, 1989, J.R. Simplot bought the first ticket, helping the industry begin its explosion in Idaho.

The games continue to grow and change offering the consumer new choices as frequent as they can be created. One of the newest hot games is the world poker tour that has a top payout of $100,000.

David Workman, the lottery spokesman, when asked what the newest game was said, "It's the Indiana Jones that's tying in to the movie ticket." The Indiana Jones game offers a top payout of $50,000. When asked what the top game overall was, Workman said, "By game by individual it's powerball," which has a payout that often goes into the millions.

The question for Utah goes back to religious values and ideas, but perhaps a bit beyond that as well. Is gambling an addictive process that can be as hard to break as narcotics? When I asked Meg Falor what she thought about the dangers of gambling she said, "I would rank it right up there with illegal drugs."

Does gambling truly cause the moral decline of the society that condones it? These are questions which coupled with the religious ideology of Utah have stopped Utah from passing legislation to legalize gambling within its borders. Some wise words on the topic from Steven Schwab: "Having it legal in only a few places kind of glorifies it."

Workman said, "You know its not really up to the lottery to decide, its really up to the state of Utah," when asked what he thought about legalizing it across the border.

So should gambling be allowed? Schwab said, "I believe in freedom of choice. So if people want to gamble that's fine with me." The argument becomes does it infringe on the lives of others? Does gambling lead to financial stress in families? Can we really know the hidden cost of gambling, or would we have hear one of those silent prayers to understand?

For students at USU who were able to attend guest lecturer Michael Franzese's presentation back in 2006, the dangers of gambling were made as clear as glass. Franzese spoke on his involvement with illegal gambling and the resulting prison sentence that accompanied him getting out of the industry.

In addition to those who speak out there are also resources available to those who feel they have become addicted, or those who feel someone around them has become addicted. Some clinics offer counseling and view gambling as a progressive illness that requires a lot of work to break the pattern of once it has become the norm.

Is the lottery a positive part of our society, or does it have a silver lining to give luster and mask the rot beneath?

Just last year the Idaho Lottery was able to pump $17 million back into the Idaho school system, which also had $2.12 million remaining from a dividend apportionment in 2006. The lottery was responsible for 37% of total funding in Idaho's Permanent Building Fund. These staggering numbers are compounded when one considers that the lottery is not shrinking but growing in total amount grossed yearly.

Workman said, "Our money is split between public schools and state buildings, 12.5 percent split equally among the two." The total money sent to those two funds last year was $34 million, with a great deal being put back into education at either the public or university level. Most counties showed an increase in yearly sales, but perhaps Utahns have grown more leery as Franklin county, home of the La Tienda stores, showed a 4.46 percent decrease in total sales from 2006-2007. Workman said of La Tienda, "I'm pretty sure its one of the top five," when speaking of Idaho's biggest lottery ticket sellers.

Whatever side of debate you are on for gambling in Utah the fact remains that all the money Utahns spend in Idaho will stay in Idaho. For those gambling and then complaining about the Utah school system and investing in their children's future, put your money where your words are, in Utah and for Utah.

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