With Kentucky's slots-at-racetracks issue having been recently put to rest for the time being, courier-journal.com columnist Eric Crawford has penned an articulate piece which spotlights the hypocrisy and ramifications of the state not opting for the slots route
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"They question why horse racing should get so much of the benefit, as if other states don't craft beneficial legislation for their signature industries — autos in Michigan , tourism in Florida , the movie industry and technology in California," he wrote.
He went on to state, "Yet before we were a nation, lotteries played a key role in the survival and expansion of all 13 colonies, for the building of schools, roads, churches, even some of our most famous universities. The founding of Virginia was financed through the first English lottery, approved by King James I, for whom the King James Version of the Bible is named.
"Lottery tickets bearing George Washington's signature still exist. And yes, citizens were urged to participate, as a 'civic duty.' To raise an army for revolution, the colonies instituted a $10 million lottery, but it proved too unwieldy and was disbanded. Imagine what they could have accomplished with slots!"
Click here to read the article in its entirety.
(With files from courier-journal.com)