It’s a Lotto World

I wrote the song It’s Lotto World back in about 2010 … nothing much has changed probably more people now with their lives completely hinged on the outcome of a bunch of numbers bouncing around in a big wheel.

When I was a kid gambling was generally considered a vice, a bad habit or worse an addiction, but as society has “advanced” gambling has become much more socially acceptable. You can bet on just about anything and everything and if you can’t find a lottery ticket to buy you just aren’t looking hard enough.

Now I am a live and let live guy so I have no issue with an individual gambling unfortunately some people, like any “addiction”, just can’t limit themselves to a bit of fun and all too often we see some ugly and downright criminal results from people that can’t control themselves. There is a lot of pain and suffering out there as a result of gambling one way or another but that is a personal responsibility thing … even though there is plenty of collateral damage left in the wake.

So if you want to gamble its your life and that is your personality responsibility but what I do have a problem with is when governments are willing to reap in revenue off the backs of people’s misery and addiction … that I do have a problem with.

For the last 25 years or so, certainly here in state of Victoria Australia, successive governments have revenue raised on the pain, suffering, misery and addiction associated with gambling. Yeah we had horse racing forever and a private run lottery all of which paid some tax but that wasn’t enough … so the government of the day  saw money in gambling addiction and decided we need copious amounts of poker machines (pokies) and a casino.

That government promised that all of our economic ills would be solved by gaming revenue and that eventually all of our taxes would go down and we would all be living on easy street because of gaming revenue. I know this has happened all over the world governments local, state and national promising promising promising nothing but good can result from the government getting involved in gambling, or so they say anyway.

Now what do we have to show for it … increased taxes, reduced services, money thrown at gambling addiction, money thrown at enforcement and policing of the addicts and organized crime, kids left in cars while daddy is in the casino, the desperate going to the ATM one more time, the addicted stealing from their employer, kids more concerned with the sports betting odds than play sports and the Gaming Corporations laughing (or so we thought) all the way to the bank.

The whole promise that we were all going to be better off with pokies, a casino, more lotteries, rampant sports betting (with it’s constant mind numbing advertising) coupled with the already available beautiful sport of horse/harness/dog racing has wound up face down in the cheesecake. But don’t worry folks all of those advertisements are followed (in very small print) by the most incongruous statement ever uttered “gamble responsibly” get serious.

Why do I bring this up now? Glad you asked, whilst we marvel at the luxurious surrounds of the casinos, see the constant intrusion of the pokie machines, and the wonder at the advertising budgets of the online gambling corporations … we think they are rolling in dough … well apparently not or at least they would like to be rolling in more. Below is a recent news article noting that a local pokie machine prophet and pain and misery pusher, has been approaching local governments here in Melbourne sermonizing to all who would listen about the joys, social contribution and economic benefit of poker machines. The article also noted that the current Victorian State government was the main benefactor of a $1million plus advertising campaign aimed at keeping the State Sponsored Gambling Is Not Right campaigners from any power in government … well they have to spend all those profits on something might as well buy a few politicians or parties.

From The Age
“Mr Mathieson wrote to a string of councils in February arguing the economic and social contribution made by ALH in each municipality and by the company’s 300-plus licensed premises and more 15,000 staff nationally.
He also details the number of jobs his pubs generate, and the support his hotels provide to local schools, clubs, community groups and charities.
News of the gaming industry’s local government push follows revelations in The Age this week that the Daniel Andrews-led Labor Party was the major beneficiary of an unprecedented $1 million-plus gaming industry campaign aimed at denying the Greens the balance of power at the November state election.
The industry launched the state campaign last year when opinion polls pointed to a close election result and what one gaming insider described as the potential “crisis” of the anti-pokie Greens holding the balance of power.”

So I bring to you my little song It’s Lotto World which is from my first solo CD … The Hippies Were Right … hope you like the song and the sentiment and you keep your bread in your pocket where it belongs.