Education
Education is one of the main things that lotteries all over the world help to deliver thanks to the money raised from ticket sales.
The majority of lottery organisations that use cash to fund new and existing educational programmes simply throw money at generic projects that are designed to benefit entire communities, but in my opinion there are other ways in which education can be promoted with lottery games.
How about a scratchcard that offers top-of-the-range college or university tuition packages as prizes? These would make innovative gifts, and they could – regulations permitting – be played on behalf of the intended recipient if they are under the legal age to play the game themselves. Imagine playing a scratchcard that will pay for your children or grandchildren to get a decent education, or even for your own student debts to be wiped out overnight and you’ll get an idea of what I’m suggesting.
Of course, there is a counter-argument that cash prizes already allow players to do what they like with the money they win, and that if a player wants to use it to fund the education of their kids or settle their student loans, they can do so. This is true, but a game devoted to giving away educational prizes would actively encourage winners to better themselves or to help their family members to better themselves.
How many times have we heard about lottery winners who scooped a fortune and blew the whole lot on fast cars, fast women and endless parties, only to end up right back where they started, both financially and personally? If such players had won a prize of education itself, they might have fared a whole lot better.
An alternative might be to offer an educational package as part of a cash prize so that the winner gets the best of both worlds – cash to spend and a scholarship to use themselves or give away to a relative.
Of course, I doubt that we will see any of these ideas taken forward in the near future, but I certainly think that there is some room for making the connection between lottery games and education even stronger than it is now.
Article Last Updated: 06/05/2008 15:32:57
