Studies of lottery spending, including this study from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 2008, show lottery revenue comes largely from Social Security, unemployment and other forms of government support. Government, in other words, is paying government — with an enormous amount of money being siphoned off by gambling interests. It also reflects a key reason why predatory gambling worsens state budget deficits over time and taxpayers end up footing the bill.
“New York City Launches Sweeping Investigation Into Polymarket and Kalshi” | The Wall Street Journal
August 12, 2026
By Kevin T. Dugan, Katherine Long “The New York City Council is investigating four prediction markets for alleged deceptive marketing