Letter: From Plato and pagans to ping-pong balls
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.From Ms Anna Freeman
Sir: It is possible and prevalent to oppose the National Lottery for reasons that are neither Calvinist nor rationalist, to use Niall Ferguson's crude terminology, but ethical.
What is most objectionable is not the size of the prizes or the profits of the organisers, or the effect on charities, or the waste of time and money, or the defiance of the laws of God or of probability, but the basic principle of a lottery - trying to get something for nothing, relying on luck rather than judgement or effort, gambling rather than thinking or working.
Even if all the churches approved and all the odds against winning were shortened, it would be wrong. The success of the National Lottery is the failure of the society that makes it so.
Yours faithfully,
Anna Freeman
Leighton Buzzard,
Bedfordshire
8 January
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments