Despite its clip art-inspired logo, the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) has shelled out more than $25 million in prizes to players since the games began on March 30. That’s great. Wow. Congratulations to the citizens of the Old North State.
But why should N.C. have only one lottery? Surely the more lotteries available to state residents, the more money generated for education. That is exactly the reason why I am starting my own lottery — http://www.universitylotto.com. I registered the domain name myself. It took decades of political wrangling for N.C. to begin its lottery operations. Mine – a few minutes and one click of the button. My N.C. State education is paying off as we speak.
I know what you are thinking – “Andrew, only the government can legally operate a lottery.” But where does it say that in the state constitution? I looked but I couldn’t find it. I did find a provision that states that a university education should be as free as practicable.
Despite all the rumors and supposed laws, “anyone” can start a lottery. Even if there was a prohibition on private lotteries, why should the state have a monopoly on fun? All types of traditional government functions are performed by private enterprise. There are private schools, universities and hospitals. And that’s not all. Even core government functions are executed by private organizations. There are at least four private correctional facilities in N.C. housing state and federal criminals. And more are being built. Private corporations can maintain law enforcement operations. Crabtree Valley Mall Police Department and the Biltmore Estate Company Police are good examples.
So you can see — just because the government normally carries out specific roles, there is ALWAYS room for someone in the private sector to do the same job. And do it better.
My lottery is very different from the NCEL — starting with the name. As the name implies, University Lotto will only assist N.C.’s higher education institutions, specifically need-based student financial aid. The NCEL also supports class size reductions, “More-at-Four” (pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds) and school construction. Only about 10 percent of NCEL’s net proceeds will go to college scholarships.
And in my opinion that number is too small, which is the reason why University Lotto is so critical to the state’s future.
In Georgia, the HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) scholarship program provides students with tuition, mandatory fees and books for attendance at any of the state’s public universities, colleges and technical schools. Georgia high school graduates with a “B” average are eligible to receive a HOPE grant, and students wishing to attend a private school may receive a $3,000 scholarship.
Georgia’s HOPE program is funded entirely by the state’s education lottery. Since the state first began its lottery in 1993, more than 900,000 students have received more than $3.58 billion in scholarships.
The problem with Georgia’s plan is that it has done little to help the poorest attend college – Georgia has a lower college-going rate than N.C. Those students with a “B” average are more likely to come from moderate-to-upper-income families. In essence, the plan is paying the higher-education costs of those who can already afford it. That’s why profits from my lottery will go towards a need-based financial aid program.
Additionally, my private lottery won’t replace existing government funding sources. It wasn’t until 1999 that N.C. even had a need-based financial aid program. Since then the total funding provided for need-based financial aid is more than $50 million. The financial need of students at NCSU alone is more money than lawmakers are willing to allocate.
More importantly, my lottery will not be in the business of funding the pet projects of elected officials like Governor Michael Easley’s “More-at-Four” program. Politicians are removed from the equation all together because UniversityLotto.com’s proceeds will go directly to the College Foundation of North Carolina. (CFNC). CFNC will administer the financial aid awards, which are determined via a formula. Since the NCEL funds other projects, like new school construction, lawmakers must make the decision about how to allocate the money. And believe me, N.C. lawmakers are not very good at doing anything.
Because University Lotto is private and only available via the Internet, I will save millions on costly bureaucratic oversight and advertising. Not only will this increase player’s winnings, but it will also increase the available funds to support needy students and their families.
Competition is good. And I am proud that my private lottery will move the state forward in allowing every qualified citizen the opportunity to attend a higher education institution. Only together can we make the dream possible. Log onto UniversityLotto.com today – our children’s futures are at stake.