This series explored how Mainers falling on hard times rely on the lottery to rescue them. A first-ever statistical analysis of Maine lottery sales and census data by Cornell University, commissioned by the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, showed lottery ticket sales rise when people lose their jobs.
In fact, Mainers on public assistance spent hundreds of million of dollars on lottery tickets — enough to win $22.4 million in prizes between 2010 and 2014, including eight jackpots worth at least $500,000 each. The state government spent millions to sway Mainers to buy more lottery tickets, our newsroom investigation found.
FEATURED STORY:
People on public assistance spent hundreds of millions on the lottery – and took home $22 million in winnings
Mainers on the state's three major public assistance programs spent hundreds of millions on lottery tickets from 2010 to 2014 and won $22 million.
All Stories:
Report: Lottery doesn’t target low-income Mainers
A government review of the Maine State Lottery confirms a lack of transparency, but no targeting and declines to make per capita analysis of sales activity.
State releases preliminary findings in lottery review
Lawmakers from both parties question preliminary findings that show no evidence the state specifically targeted particular segments of the population in its marketing.
Legislators to scrutinize lottery oversight, ad tactics
Committee wants to know if particular groups are specifically targeted by advertising, and who has oversight of that.
LePage: Lottery targets poor looking for ‘silver bullet’
Gov. Paul LePage said he believes the Maine State Lottery “absolutely” targets the poor and that if legislators passed a bill to end the lottery, he would sign it immediately.
Maine lawmakers fast-track lottery investigation
Panel members are keen to learn if the lottery's advertising strategy specifically targets Maine's poor.