The Massachusetts State Lottery announced today it will provide preferences to military veterans who play the state-sponsored games.
“Our veterans have given us so much,” said state treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, “Surely we own them back a better chance than most at realizing the American dream.”
Under the program, veterans would have a 20 percent greater chance of winning any of the Lottery’s numerous games, including scratch tickets, Keno, and larger jackpot games such as MegaMillions.
Cahill said the plan was a logical extension of current programs that provide veterans with preferences in hiring and promotion. “Those programs are basically saying that we should do everything we can to make sure our vets have an opportunity to work hard and have a decent living. With the new Lottery preferences, we’re saying that vets also should have the chance to not work hard and have a spectacular living.”
While applauding Cahill’s efforts, a representative of the NAACP said that the program should also be extended to blacks. “African-Americans have traditionally been under-represented as winners of lotteries in America,” the spokesman said. “To rectify this, it’s important that they also be accorded preferences to make up for past winnings discrimination.” A spokeswoman for the National Organization for Women said that the same logic should apply to women.
Cahill said he agreed with both organizations and said his office would begin making plans to extend the preferences to women, African-Americans, Latin-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native-Americans and other minority groups. An analysis prepared by an outside consultant predicted that after the new preferences were implemented, non-veteran white males betting on the games would have no chance of winning. “However, we still expect them to play,” Cahill said. “After all, they owe it to everybody else.”