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1960 • Baseball Clip • Jackie Robinson on Lottery - Radio Speech · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

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  From time to time, prominent Americans have suggested that we follow Ireland's lead and have a national lottery based on one of America's best known sporting events.
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  The Kentucky Derby, for instance. I'd like to give you my views immediately following this important message.
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  Personally, I'm in favor of some kind of a national lottery. I don't agree with those who say that gambling breeds crime.
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  I think if you look at past history, you'll find that where you outlaw certain kinds of things, this is where you have crime.
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  When we had prohibition, what happened? The gangsters came in, they brought in illegal whiskey, they made all kinds.
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  It wasn't inspected. Therefore, you had not only illegal whiskey, but you had something that was bad for their health.
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  And let's look at the lottery that would come in here. Would this bring in the gangsters? I say no.
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  First of all, I think that when you don't allow legalized gambling, once again the gangsters come in, they take over, and you run into all kinds of problems.
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  But if you had this thing legalized and you had it supervised day in and day out, perhaps even have it government controlled,
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  I think that you would find that you would be benefiting the little man who can afford to gamble.
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  People say that, let's not have off-track betting. They frown on it. They say that it's going to cause all kinds of trouble,
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  that more and more people are going to be betting who cannot afford to do so. I think this is kind of ridiculous.
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  First of all, no one is forced to bet. Those who like it will bet. Those who do not like it will not bet.
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  Let's not worry about whether or not people are going to lose $2 here or there when they can't afford it because they're going to do it anyway.
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  And I kind of have an idea that you could make some of these schools that we're trying to build, new schools, the beneficiaries of a lottery,
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  or a new hospital could come into being because of a lottery such as they have in Ireland.
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  Or perhaps the government, in trying to build more and more homes, could get some money to build homes for the people who are now living in slums,
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  or perhaps for the aged even. Perhaps we could get it for hospitalization.
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  Frankly, I think we'd have a lot less crime than we have if we were allowed to bet any time, any place we wanted to.
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  Naturally, ladies and gentlemen, this is a personal opinion. I'd like to know what some of you think on this particular subject.
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  And I hope that you agree. And perhaps someday we will have legalized lottery here in the United States.
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  Well, that just about does it for now, fans. See you soon.