Lotteries add very little to the incomes of most state governments; the average lottery state realizes only about 3.6% of its income from its lottery.
The same market forces that reduced Alabama’s tax revenue—putting the state in its current fiscal crisis—would have the same effect on a lottery.
The market for large-scale gambling in the United States is already flooded: 95% of Americans already live in a state with a lottery, and most are within a few hours’ drive of one or more of almost 1,000 casinos scattered across the country.