Small wins count, too

LITTLE ROCK — IT DOESN’T TAKE long to get bored hearing the barkers at the Arkansas Lottery yell hurry, hurry, step right up. After listening to them trying to sell their latest ideas for taking the suckers, and watching them slap the poster behind them with a pointer again and again-this will cure what ails ya!-most of us just walk away to the next set of clowns. Even better, to somebody selling something that we need. How about a new set of tires instead? Or a bag full of groceries. You know, something worth the money, something you can use.

That is, most of us move on. There are some unfortunate types who stareat the barkers for hours, breathing out of their mouths and believing every word thrown at them. After the barkers get finished selling their goods, or the promise of goods, the gullible dig deep into their pockets, knowing a good investment when they seeone. You know the type. Or at least you’ve seen them. They can be found in most convenience stores in Arkansas, just to the side of the cashier. You can watch them as you pay for gas-something else most of us really need. After the scratch-off ticket buyer wins a dollar, he’ll buy another scratchoff ticket with it. He may even win a 10-spot once in a while, and celebrate his luck, never realizing that it took 15 dollars to get that ticket. Every month or so he may even jump for joy having won a hundred bucks. Even though to get that hundred bucks he had to spend twice that. Sometimes the light bill goes unpaid. But that’s how the lottery works. This state’s lottery projects it’ll make near about $100 million next year. That doesn’t happen if every lottery player wins. No, no. There’ll have to be a whole lot of losers for that to happen.

The quicker the state’s numbers racket rakes in the money, the better. Better for the numbers racket, that is. Which is why the pit bosses for the Arkansas Lottery wanted folks to be able to use their debit cards for ticket purchases. Why, everybody’s doing it, ma. Three-fourths of the states that havelotteries allow debit card purchases. Just look at Louisiana. Down there, you can even buy lottery tickets with credit cards. And here we just wanted to use debit cards.

First, let’s not look to Louisiana for guidance on anything much more than maybe a good roux recipe, okay? Some of us hope for better things here. The last time we made a trip south of the state border, we were struck by the number of pay-day loan places on every corner. Arkansas got rid of those blood-suckers years ago. In Louisiana, that scam continues. Which tells you something about both states.

Second, if folks buying lottery ticketshere ever get used to using plastic to buy them, how long would it be till the debate changed from whether to use cards to which cards could be used?

Thankfully, the Arkansas Lottery Commission said last week that despite the request from its administrators, it won’t seek new rules on allowing debit cards. It seems there’s not a whole lot of political support for that.

Whew.

The mourning period for debit cards lasted . . . oh, about three paragraphs. After the news story quoted several political types saying no thanks to debit cards, the director of the Lottery, Bishop Woosley-that’s not a title, it’s his name-said he’s looking for an increase in draw game sales when Arkansas Natural comes on-line. That game will start later this summer. And maybe the Powerball jackpot game will bring in more players.

You can have it all if you’ll just put down your money. Somebody could win millions! Why not you? What are your lucky numbers? How about trying the kids’ birthdays this week? Follow us on Twitter! Play Cash 3 tonight! Cash 4 tomorrow! Scratch off every day!

Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up. Too bad about the debit cards, folks, but there’s an ATM just down the street. Bring your cash and spend a fortune. You in the back, sir, you look like you could use a million dollars. (Get away kid, you bother me.)