If buying a house with a white picket fence is the American dream, perhaps winning the lottery is the American daydream.
Players know the odds are against them, but for some, a chance at thousands of dollars, or even millions, seems worth a dollar or two.
Fifteen years after the Virginia Lottery was created in September of 1988, some area residents play every day.
But even though revenues go to public education, some still oppose it.
I opposed it (in 1988) because I thought it was the most convenient for those people that could not afford to gamble . .. that it was the most convenient gambling that you could get, said former Virginia Del. Alson H. Smith Jr., who represented the Winchester area when the lottery was created.
He said many Virginia residents are under the misconception that the lottery was legalized to pay for education.
In fact, revenues from the lottery were used for construction projects in 1989. From 1990 to 2000, lottery revenues went into the states general fund. Only after a voter referendum was passed in the 2000 election, did lottery proceeds benefit public schools.
The lottery has been a political football, Smith said. Several of my friends were for it.
When legislators were debating the benefits of a state lottery, some opponents said it would encourage Mafia activity, Smith said.
And that certainly isnt true in any way, shape, or form.
Although his main objection to the lottery was that it was an easy, inexpensive way to gamble, Smith also pointed out that money spent on other things, such as food and clothing, is taxed and therefore also brings in revenue.
The lottery debate began long before voters passed a referendum in 1987 to create a lottery.
From 1978 to 1982, Shenandoah University President Jim Davis represented Franklin, Bedford, and Rockbridge counties in the Virginia House of Delegates.
By that time, legislators were already discussing the benefits and drawbacks of a state lottery, and Davis was opposed to the idea.
I didnt care where the money went. I didnt think the state should sponsor gambling as a way to raise revenue, he said.
Theoretically, Davis said, he might oppose all forms of betting and gambling, even raffles for a good cause. But he doesnt.
(Raffles) arent state sponsored, he said.
U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-10th, was also opposed to the lottery, although he declined to comment for this story.
Hes an ardent foe of gambling, said Dan Scandling, Wolfs press secretary.
State Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr., R-Winchester, favors the lottery, although he was not elected until 1991, so he was not among the legislators who voted to legalize it.
Every single penny goes to education. It does a lot of good and helps a lot of our school children in one of the best public school systems in America, Potts said. The other facet in it is, (playing) the lottery is clearly by choice.
Those who play the lottery say its not a big deal; its just something they do for fun with their extra money.
Thomas McDonald of Kernstown buys lottery tickets almost every day, spending about $10 a week.
As long as my familys taken care of and Ive got extra money, Ill play lottery. You cant win if you dont play, he said.
A 58-year-old Frederick County man who asked to remain unidentified recently purchased two scratch-off lottery tickets at Bos Belly Barn on the corner of Cork and Kent streets in Winchester.
Each ticket was a winner worth $1, so on that particular day, he broke even. About two years ago, he won $7,600 playing the lottery, he said.
The money goes for a good reason for education, he said.
Frederick County Public Schools will receive $1.5 million from the state lottery for fiscal year 2004, said Lisa Frye, FCPS director of finance.
Winchester Public Schools will receive $346,334, and Clarke County Public Schools will get $188,260.
Thats a substantial help, said Thomas J. Judge, Clarke Countys director of joint administrative services.
Schools receive money based on a formula that takes into account the number of students within the school system, said Linda Meadows, director of finance for Winchester Public Schools.
But whether lottery proceeds offset shortfalls in state funding for education is another matter, Judge said.
In fiscal year 2003, Virginia lottery sales brought in $1.1357 billion, 56 percent of which went back to players in the form of prizes; 33 percent, or $375.2 million, went to the state for public education; 6 percent to operating expenses; and 5 percent to retailers who sell lottery tickets, according to the Virginia Lotterys Web site.
Although lottery players know their chances of winning more than a few dollars are slim, that doesnt stop people from imagining what they would do with the money if they did win the lottery.
If he won the lottery, McDonald said he would use the money for his family, then give some to charity.
Pal Gojani of Winchester, who says he plays the lottery every day, recently won a 2004 Corvette LSI Convertible by playing the lotterys Corvette Summer game.
He purchased the winning ticket at One Stop Food Mart on Gerrard Street in Winchester.
This is the biggest winner of my life, said Gojani, who moved to the United States from Yugoslavia in 1971.
Rather than keep the new car, Gojani sold the Corvette to Jim Stutzman Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick.
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