I&#x27;m glad you point this out.  So far no one has noted that lottery is a service the government provides as an alternative to gambling privately in dangerous, much more exploitive conditions.<p>Interestingly, the job of advertising state lotteries should walk a fine line between drawing would-be private gamblers to safer state circumstances and inducing people who wouldn&#x27;t normally gamble to take it up.  And it sounds like some of those ads have stepped over the line.<p>So the most salient part of this article deals with advertising lotteries.<p>The part about turning the lottery over to private businesses I don&#x27;t find compelling.  After all, the role of private business is to make profit and often does so by gravitating laws in their favor.  I don&#x27;t think businesses would compete to see who can make the most benevolent advertising.