Should Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Prevent Welfare Benefits from Being Spent on Lottery Tickets? [POLL]

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting says since 2010, recipients of Maine public assistance have won $22.4 million in lottery prizes. That includes eight jackpots worth at least $500,000 apiece.

Lawmakers want to make sure benefit money isn't being spent on lotteries. A bipartisan effort is underway to pass legislation to prohibit people on public assistance from buying lottery tickets with taxpayer-funded benefits.

Of course, there is no way to determine whether those receiving assistance used taxpayer money or their own to buy the tickets.

According to centralmaine.com, Adrienne Bennett, the spokeswoman for Gov. Paul LePage, “This is not a new issue. Gov. LePage has been introducing legislation year after year, but it’s a fight every time we go to the Legislature to close these loopholes.”

What do you think?