Alabama is one of just a few states where lotteries are not allowed. Along with Mississippi and Utah, Alabama's prohibition on a state lottery is strongly rooted in religious objections. Citing a revenue shortfall of more than $260 million, without putting a lottery in place, funds will probably be cut from education and the state’s prison system. In these areas the state cannot afford to cut budgets, and the lottery would be the answer to our state’s financial crisis. Allowing a state lottery would tremendously help the state’s education system. The state lottery would help fund K- 12 education; it could generate upwards of $250 million a year for the state’s school system. Also having a state lottery would help fund colleges in the state of Alabama and create scholarships and vocational programs for students in the state. Scholarships that can be created using funds from the lottery could help our children afford an education at any university, two-year college or technical school of their choice. Many of our state’s students wouldn’t have the chance to receive this education otherwise. Reduced class sizes and up-to-date technologies would greatly improve Alabama’s school system, and the funds generated could be used for this purpose. …show more content…
More than 24,000 inmates are housed in a system designed for half that number. Inmates, especially ones that have mental disorders, are not receiving the proper care they need. They are not being properly rehabilitated, and because of this, an inmate (once out of the system) is more likely to be a repeat offender and re-enter the prison system, creating a vicious cycle. Some of the funding that a state lottery would generate could be used to maintain our current prison facilities and build new ones as