SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Michael Medved featured on documentary about state lotteries

Jun 12, 2016, 7:20 AM

Two years ago, KTTH host Michael Medved told a documentary crew about his distaste for state lotteries.

His view hasn’t changed.

Medved says he hasn’t yet had a chance to see the documentary “Out of Luck,” which is available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, even though it has made the rounds on shows including “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and CBS This Morning. The film, which features Medved, actor Adam Corolla and author Taylor Branch, examines the system of state lotteries in the United States.

Medved is quoted in the documentary as saying,”Robin Hood was an outlaw because he stole from the rich and gave to the poor. What do you call a policy that steals from the poor to lower the burden on the rich?”

Medved says he doesn’t believe the lottery should be entirely outlawed, but that government should not be involved.

“It’s a tax on stupidity and it ends up being a very regressive tax,” he said “My big objection is that it encourages the idea that the way to get rich is to hit the jackpot, whereas the real American message about the way to get rich is through patience, thrift, hard work and incremental ascent.”

Please follow our Community Guidelines

Fire crews respond to a helicopter hard landing after the aircraft's engine reportedly lost power n...

Tom Brock

Two aircraft emergencies in Pierce County Saturday

Two aircraft emergencies in Pierce County Saturday resulted in injuries to one pilot. 

1 hour ago

This image released by GKIDS shows a scene from "Godzilla Minus Zero." (GKIDS via AP)Credit: GKIDS ...

Associated Press

‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ stomps to a record-setting $31.6 debut, clobbering ‘The Cat in the Hat’

NEW YORK (AP) — “Godzilla Minus Zero” stomped into movie theaters with a chart-topping $31.6 million over the weekend, scoring a record debut for a foreign-language film at the North American box office. Takashi Yamazaki‘s sequel to 2023’s Oscar-winning “Godzilla Minus One” easily thrashed Warner Bros.’ animated “The Cat in the Hat” movie. That film, […]

1 hour ago

All lanes of SB I-5 near US 12 (MP 68) were blocked Saturday night due to a multi-vehicle collision...

Tom Brock

Thousands remain without electricity after powerful windstorm hits Pacific Northwest

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are in the dark this morning after strong winds and heavy rain from a storm blew through the Pacific Northwest.

4 hours ago

This aerial photo provided by Sky Yazzie shows Upper Lake Mary in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Tuesday, Nov...

Associated Press

Floods bring rare relief to US Southwest reservoirs as Lake Powell rises 20 feet

PHOENIX (AP) — Recent flooding across the U.S. Southwest is providing rare relief to thirsty reservoirs that had fallen to record lows amid a yearslong megadrought. Storms in late October and early November sent torrents of water through normally small or dry creeks that overflowed their banks and flooded local communities. Hundreds of people were […]

6 hours ago

Solar panels generate electricity Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, near Boulder City, Nev. (AP Photo/John Loch...

Associated Press

Democrats plan to push clean energy to lower bills and challenge Trump’s fossil fuel agenda

Some Democrats are promising to push for more clean energy to help tackle rising energy costs when they take control of Congress in January, though President Donald Trump says he will use his veto power aggressively. With new majorities in the House and Senate after last week’s midterms, Democrats can set an agenda boosting clean […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Police: 2 shootings at Winston-Salem State during homecoming weekend leave 1 dead

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Two separate shootings during homecoming weekend at a historically Black college in North Carolina have left one person dead and three injured, police said Sunday. Assistant Police Chief Jason Swaim of the Winston-Salem Police Department said both shootings occurred on Saturday on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, but that it […]

7 hours ago

Michael Medved featured on documentary about state lotteries