I have a fundraising idea for the federal government. Suggest to the public that anyone who's willing to play the lottery and donate all winnings to the federal government should get a tax deduction per lottery ticket they buy. Of course, the money purchasing the lottery ticket won't go to waste -- it would go the local or state government. Also, if the winning ticket is drawn, the money would benefit the central government.
This solution, as with most solutions to problems, has problems worth mentioning and resolving. First, charities may lose out. Second, I invite discussions on whether it would be a good idea to say whether the buyer of the winning ticket should have a say as to where the money should go to. Third, I personally feel that this should only be used with big lotteries, but I'd like to get feedback on this feeling. Fourth, I'd like to hear thoughts on whether it would be a good idea to reward buyers of winning tickets. [Personally, charities would really lose out if we would institute such a reward system. I think the "winners" should simply be given honor. However, I'd like to hear from psychologists if people would gamble for honor.] Fifth, I think each president would be tempted to get quick cash rather than get more money over the course of time. [BACKGROUND INFO: Lottery winners are offered a choice between a lot of quick cash vs. much, much more money spread out over the course of time.] Sixth, some people may cheat the government if this idea gets used by the government. I suggest that new lottery tickets get designed that would do away with this problem [i.e., one lottery ticket design for donors; another design for gamblers]. I'm open to other suggestions for reducing or eliminating this crime. I'd also like to hear what type of punishment should be imposed on people who commit this type of crime.
This idea leads to another one: if a local charity has a raffle, should the buyer who buys a ticket with the winnings going to charity get a tax deduction? The only problem I see with this idea is that it invites people to cheat the government via collusion (though I do have to admit it would probably be rare).
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The obvious problem with this idea is that no one will go for it. The whole incentive for buying lottery tickets is the hope that you will get rich. Without that, there is no reason to play.
As I said, we can reward such people with a small financial reward or some type of honor if they win. We can also help people realize that money from lotteries go to charity (government funding).