In Jorge Luis Borges’ short story The Lottery in Babylon, the lottery evolves from a simple game into a complex system of punishment and reward, in which every free man is entered automatically. It becomes a metaphor for fate, with a mysterious company drawing numbers to decide which citizens of Babylon should be happy, and which sad.
Italy is currently gripped in a fever of discussion over its lottery. The system is complex, at least to this foreigner, suffice to say that one can play with numbers chosen from different regions (each of which have separate draws), and you can play everything on one number. There are magazines specifically devoted to playing the game, and the famous smorfia from Naples, a board that translate symbols from your dreams or events into numbers to play. It’s a serious business.
Currently the number 53* hasn’t emerged from the Venetian draw for over 180 consecutive draws. And, as in Borges’ story, the stakes have become life or death for some. In at least one documented case a woman has committed suicide after putting her life’s savings on the number, which failed to materialise[1]
On the 28th of January, Finance minister Domenico Siniscalco went so far as to caution players of the lotto urging people to play, but with their brains and a sense of moderation[2].
The Government are in a tricky position here. The game is popular, and run by chance – precluding any intervention on the part of the State to ‘encourage’ #53 to pop its heavily backed head up. At the same time though, there’s a huge amount of advertising and publicity for the lotto, encouraging people to play (including the strategic use of lotto colours and symbols in normal programs on RAI, according to some), which to some extent makes the Government complicit in the growth of pathological gambling.
The matter becomes slightly more political when you take into account the tax cuts introduced by the Government late last year which have just come in to effect. Tax cuts were one of the major electoral promises made by Forza Italia, and one on which they had to deliver. There’s been much argument as to the extent of the tax cuts and whom they benefit (Berluska has obviously learned some ‘wealth re-distribution’ tricks from his Texan buddy). One thing is certain though, in a time of economic downturn and Maastricht guidelines the Government have managed their tax cuts in part by adding indirect taxes on things like -yep, you guessed it- the lotto!
*According to our smorfia (when in rome, etc.) 53 is represented by il vecchio or an old man, who might just be less popular in the dreams of Italian men than #21
[1] Corriere della Sera 13/01/2005
[2] Corriere della Sera – 28/01/2005