the proceeds from a patently bogus shell game, and one which siphons off further funds from the most gullible / least able to afford the 'donation' -- says more about the decline of intelligence and ethics + the rise of overall dumbth.. than the usual screed might.
You correctly parse the political duplicity (and slothfulness) behind it IMhO; the clear effort to evade actually valuing education of all citizens, according to its worth -- somewhat higher than some ^$%*# new stadium filled with plastic Rent-A-Teams du jour? ('Teams' to generate equally bogus local TeamSpirit\ufffd natch -- ain't much *other* Murican er.. Spirit.. floatin around now, in the days of Corporate Rule, ascent of the Repo)
All one need do is, look at the actual history of Vegas - who built the First casino and why. Then ponder the subsequent insane cost (Kwhr/person 'air cooled in a desert'?) complete with fountains and proceeds from another diverted river - for the main flavor of the project..
(And we diss the Arabs fer doin the same thing with their oil megalopoly! Makin that there desert bloom with US$ - Love. It. (Lots of that "50% imported oil" runs them ACs n' fountains, n' Egyptian harems from Disneyland))
The lottery is just a way o' Telnettin all that.. Excitement! to yer local burg. No?
Then fold-in the putative Farmily Valuez of the (presumably std. cross section of the population?) - goin there (with the cheeldrun off in the sponsored play-pens, noticin..): lookin fer that Somethin fer Nothin 'ROI'. Knowin ~ what the odds are.
Of course what's fun about it all is: it's so nicely counter to the Puritanism - all that sex n' pizzazz n 'riotous livin' and other stuff. The whole enviro there flies in the face of that Massive Albatross we load on the necks of the infants, and onward:
Sex is dirty. Your body is dirty - You are dirty if you er Like er touchin yerself.. *there* :[ little Timmy/Suzy -- OOooooh *pleasure* is the Debbil findin work fer them Idle Hands again.. (the beginnings? of our other screwed-up 'public personas', some assert)
Ain't institutionalized hypocrisy Fun ? Especially mixed-in with them subliminal Puritan messages - just to fuck-up yer head further? (All while: the sheep Are being sheared! Reliably.)
And... we gots The State a sponsorin' this Eevul Stuff!
(Hear that whirring sound? It's the Founding Mothers. Spinning in their - )
Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle.. Cackle..