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state Lotteries and Crime

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  • John Mikesell
  • Maureen A. Pirog‐Good

Abstract

. The impact of having a state lottery on the rate of crime against property in that state is estimated. Arguments in the standard economic model of criminal activity employed here include the unemployment rate, real income per capita, presence of the death penalty in the state as a proxy for general severity of punishment, police officers per capita, the percentage of population between the ages of 5 and 24, and the presence of a state lottery. Because the decision of a state to operate a lottery may correlate with crime rates, a selectivity model was run to extract any bias, but no such bias was found. The analysis used data for the 50 states plus the District of Columbia from 1970 through 1984. The results suggest that presence of a state lottery is associated with a crime rate higher by about 3 percent, an effect both statistically significant and practically important.

Suggested Citation

  • John Mikesell & Maureen A. Pirog‐Good, 1990. "state Lotteries and Crime," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 7-20, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ajecsc:v:49:y:1990:i:1:p:7-20
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1536-7150.1990.tb02254.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Charles T. Clotfelter & Philip J. Cook, 1987. "Implicit Taxation in Lottery Finance," NBER Working Papers 2246, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1974. "Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach," NBER Chapters, in: Essays in the Economics of Crime and Punishment, pages 1-54, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. repec:mpr:mprres:2737 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Ehrlich, Isaac, 1973. "Participation in Illegitimate Activities: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 81(3), pages 521-565, May-June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Whitney, Marilyn D., 1991. "Factors Affecting The Demand For California Lottery Tickets," Working Papers 225863, University of California, Davis, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    2. Becchetti, Leonardo & Solferino, Nazaria & Tessitore, Maria Elisabetta, 2014. "A dynamic model of Gambling addiction with social costs: theory and policy solutions," AICCON Working Papers 133-2014, Associazione Italiana per la Cultura della Cooperazione e del Non Profit.
    3. Kent Grote & Victor Matheson, 2011. "The Economics of Lotteries: A Survey of the Literature," Working Papers 1109, College of the Holy Cross, Department of Economics.
    4. Richard B. Whitaker, 2007. "State Lotteries and Agency Costs: Hidden Costs to Nonparticipants," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(3), pages 533-544, July.
    5. Cho-Min Lin & Kung-Cheng Lin, 2007. "The demand for lottery expenditure in Taiwan: a quantile regression approach," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 4(42), pages 1-11.
    6. Thomas Garrett, 2001. "An International Comparison and Analysis of Lotteries and the Distribution of Lottery Expenditures," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 213-227.

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