CCIJ launched the 71% series on its blog. The CCIJ community got to know partner organization CENOZO through the partner spotlight series. Members of CCIJ issued a statement of solidarity to Namibian journalists.
Country: United States
The Flint Water Crisis put the issue of lead in drinking water in the national spotlight, but the problem isn’t unique to Flint.
Gaming the Lottery
Gaming the poor
A randomised study of lottery participation conducted by the University of South Africa (UNISA) found that in 2010, nearly three quarters of lottery players earned less than R 5,000 a month – and of those 33 percent earn R1000 a month or less.
The study’s findings add to scholarly work from the United States and Europe demonstrating that lotteries can amount to a regressive tax that, while not imposed by law, is sanctioned by participating governments using advertising campaigns that even the National Gambling Board (NGB) describes as, “perhaps irresponsible… manipulative.”
That poor people across the planet are overrepresented among the ranks of lottery players may not be a surprise. Far less known is known about the presence and activities of GTech, a lottery titan involved in 100 countries around the globe and the subject of controversies stretching back decades.
An exclusive analysis of public financial documents conducted in 2016 shows that the company, which completed a merger in 2015 with gaming giant International Game Technology (IGT), has avoided hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes through financial maneuvers. IGT is currently the main technology supplier for lottery systems and support for Ithuba, the company that currently runs the SA lottery.
The process through which the merger happened appears to show aggressive tax avoidance, involving slashing corporate tax rates in half while keeping billions hidden from the taxman.
Gaming the Lottery
Amid Delay In New Lottery Policy, Repeat Winners Keep On Winning
It’s been a charmed decade for Ali Jaafar. The Watertown man keeps hitting it big on the Massachusetts State Lottery, winning millions of dollars from thousands of scratch tickets.
State records show that since Jan. 1 the Watertown man has won more than $1.8 million from lottery retailers all around Massachusetts — with most of his riches coming from scratch tickets revealing $1,000 prizes. Jaafar is on track to be the winningest lotto player in Massachusetts for a third consecutive year, and nothing yet seems to be getting in his way when it comes to winning.
Gaming the Lottery
See How Much Money Your Town Or City Gives, And Gets From, The Lottery
Every year, about a fifth of the revenue the Massachusetts State Lottery collects from those who play is handed out to the state’s 351 towns and cities. While more than 300 of those communities are home to convenience stores, bars or other places where people can buy lottery products, about 40 towns — mostly small, […]
The Massachusetts State Lottery is a major source of local aid for cities and towns, delivering hundreds of millions of dollars annually that communities use to improve public safety, schools and infrastructure. But have a look at our interactive map on the state’s distribution system of lottery funds to cities and towns, and you’ll notice some […]
Following a 2017 PennLive investigation, auditors have raised questions about suspiciously frequent prize claims in South Carolina’s lottery.
Environmental justice, as it is widely known as throughout the United States, is a movement that explores the intersection between environmental and race issues while advocating for systematic change.
Paul, a business strategist with 25 years of senior experience in the investment management and financial services industry, is a member of CCIJ’s Board of Directors.