North Carolina lawmakers are drafting legislation that would make it unlawful for vendors to sell lottery tickets to customers they know are bankrupt or on welfare.
State Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam told ABC11 that in obvious cases, such as when customers pay for groceries with food stamps, they shouldn’t be allowed to buy lottery tickets at the same time.
The new measure would affect more than 1.7 million North Carolina residents who are currently on food stamps.
“We’re giving them welfare to help them live, and yet by selling them a ticket, we’re taking away their money that is there to provide them the barest of necessities,” Mr. Stam said.
Some lottery critics claim the lottery is a tax on the poor, the uneducated and the elderly, who are more likely to buy lottery tickets.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Jessica Chasmar is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Columns from Voices around the World talking about the events, people, politics and social issues that concern us wherever, and whoever, we are.
Video reviews of today's hottest trends in Minecraft (servers and mods) along with a look at the latest video games with your host MCairsoft14 (alias Jerad Zad).
Covering the world of soccer, including the World Cup, Major League Soccer, D.C. United and the English Premier League and other interesting sporting events.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
