Maybe it's time to reopen lotto

To those who are against gambling, any form of it, you may want to skip this article. This will not make your day. But to those willing to keep an open mind, you may want to read on. For practical reasons, there might be a need to reopen the lotto and its associated games. But if the government does not deem it wise to do so, then the games being closed as they already are, it will not take anything to keep them that way.

But, first, here is what I think. The lockdown imposed nationwide in response to the coronavirus pandemic has turned the lives of people upside down. Businesses closed, people lost jobs, schooling was disrupted, travel was banned. The things people normally did, to make money, earn a living, gain education, practice their craft, nourish their faith, keep themselves fit, all of these took a severe direct hit.

To say that everyone suffered is an understatement. And yet some are really more resilient than others. There were those who used the time being cooped at home learning new trades, developing new skills, discovering hidden talents. In other words, they found something to do when there was nothing to do and did it.

Still there are others, and there are plenty of them, who just could not adjust to the drastic changes even after three months. In fact, as the days of lockdown dragged on, their condition worsened. It might seem easy to just blame them for failing to adjust, ridicule them for not being made of sterner stuff. But it only seems that way.

For the truth is, these people need help too. They do not just need social amelioration, which by itself, given the skewed manner by which it was implemented, in fact helped in the emotional and psychological strangulation of those who expected to receive aid but did not get any. Their spirits need a jolt. They need a diversion to take their attention away from lockdown, fear, and death.

Believe me, there have been many deaths, both reported and unreported, that were not due to COVID but rather self-inflicted. This pandemic, this lockdown, is such a messy thing. The topsy-turvy world we have become may render not enough the usual means of coping we need to just hang on. We may need unconventional ways to pick up our lives and move on.

Now you may call me crazy, but I think there is some beneficial therapeutic effect in gambling for those who have been restricted and denied of so many things for so long. I am not suggesting that non-gamblers be introduced to games of chance. But I think the millions of Filipinos who used to patronize lotto deserve to be given a break from their depression.

Aside from providing a diversion, and win a little on the side if lucky, or win really big if extremely so, the government can also earn tremendous revenues like it used to do. At present, government coffers have been sapped by SAP. Tax takes, because of the pandemic, must surely be way below targets. The treasury needs a boost. The lotto could be one of the answers to our problems.