LOTTERIES

A look at a phenomenon that—thanks to government support, misleading advertising, and eager public cooperation—has become this country's number-one growth industry. Local raffles, generally to raise money for specific purposes, have been held since ancient times, weathering (as Weiss shows) almost continual corruption and controversy. Today, legalized gambling—run by churches, Native American tribes, municipalities, states, and soon, perhaps, the federal government—is widely seen as a source of easy money for education and social programs: essentially, a disguised tax that people will line up to pay. Weiss sounds a strong cautionary note, suggesting that the benefits of all these billions don't outweigh their cost. Recognizing that lotteries are here to stay, she proposes a few sensible reforms: limiting top prizes; toning down the advertising; and using warning labels to show that participants need more to come out winners than ``a dollar and a dream.'' Source notes; short bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 12-16)