[happyopossum]

> The only reason the government is involved is because organized crime is who runs lotteries in the absence of the state

No - the reason they do is because they can and it rakes in tons of money. Period.

[Supermancho]

The government doesn't make as much as the ticket printers and lottery machine manufacturers/owners. It's not about the money for the state. It's about the lobbyists who are now entrenched, same as virtually any US lottery.