Did you enjoy the recent free Whitehorse concert by legendary B.C. band 54-40?

It wasn’t really free, of course. It was paid for by a government agency, Lotteries Yukon. Or, to be more precise, by all the Yukoners who play government-backed lotteries and betting games. The house, as the saying goes, always wins. And in this case the house is the government.

You might ask why a government agency is skimming cash off its citizens with games of chance. It would be less hassle to just raise taxes to pay 54-40 to play Shipyards Park. And also more fair in sharing the burden.

There are two rationales. First, if the government didn’t offer lotteries then neighbourhood bookies and organized crime would satisfy the people’s love of gambling — and pocket all the profits. Second, gaming is volunta

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