The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting on Wednesday released the first part of what it says will be a three-part series on the Maine State Lottery, looking at the state-run lottery’s impact on the Maine’s poorer communities.
A study of the lottery conducted by Cornell University researchers on behalf of the center found that for every 1% increase in joblessness in a given zip code, sales of scratch and draw tickets jump 10%. The study also found that Maine’s poorest towns spend as much as 200 times more per person than those in wealthier areas.
In Washington County, Maine’s poorest county, residents spend $275 per person annually on lottery tickets, more than $100 more than residents in either Cumberland and York counties, according to the investigation.
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