> most states take about 40-50% of the lottery winnings to fund education programs. In Georgia, we have the HOPE scholarship which is funded by the Georgia Lott

> most states take about 40-50% of the lottery winnings to fund education programs. In Georgia, we have the HOPE scholarship which is funded by the Georgia Lottery. My father and I once debated the merits of this, and he made a point that stuck with me: the overall funding for education didn't change. It's just that the money that used to come from the government now comes from lotteries instead. Meaning the burden of that cost has shifted from the collected taxes, which is more proportionally paid by the rich, to the lottery system which is more proportionally paid by the poor.