Sen. Johnson praises GOC vote to investigate Maine State Lottery marketing

AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee voted unanimously Friday to launch an investigation into the Maine State Lottery to determine whether the lottery unfairly targets its advertising at the poor.

Sen. Chris Johnson, D-Somerville, is a member of the committee. He said it is important for lawmakers to ensure the lottery is not “selling financial salvation to poor people in a game rigged against them.”

“The Maine Lottery, under the auspices of the state, should not be used to balance the budget on the backs of the most financially vulnerable people,” Sen. Johnson said. “That’s why I support the investigation into whether the poor are unfairly targeted by the lottery.”

In a recent series by The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, researchers found that low-income Mainers buy a disproportionately high share of lottery tickets. The series raised questions about whether the Lottery’s marketing efforts.

“We need to understand why the people who can least afford to throw money at the lottery are seemingly the most likely to do so,” Sen. Johnson said. “Whether it’s by design or not, we cannot ignore such a perverse policy reality.”

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