New York Robbery.

A few people have asked us what our "New York Robbery" tee is all about. If you're from NY, you'll probably recognize the design as a flip on the popular NY State Lotto logo. (The tagline on our shirt says "All you need is a dollar and a delusion" - the original motto is "All you need is a dollar and a dream.")

We dont usually go too far out of our way to explain tshirt meanings but we felt like this was an important one to discuss. What we were trying to get at are the supposed benefits that state lottery systems claim to provide to society, and the actual ills they perpetuate. Without going into too much detail - state lottery systems were first instituted in 1964 (New Hampshire was the first) as a means of raising money for education. They were viewed as a better alternative to increasing taxes across the board, since participation in lotteries is voluntary. Since then, it's become startlingly clear through numerous studies that not only do lotteries fail to provide any measurable benefits to school systems, they also target the very demographics that the educational reforms are supposed to benefit the most: low-income families.

First, lets talk about the lack of benefits. In a study from Money Magazine, it's been found that states without lotteries actually spend a greater percentage of their budget on education. Further, since 1990, spending devoted to education has actually decreased in lottery states, while increasing in non-lottery states during the same period (source). Some have suggested that lottery proceeds that are earmarked for education programs may actually just be replacing the original state-budgeted education money that has been funneled off into other mysterious programs - thus, the money is technically going towards schools but the quality of education is not increasing.

Secondly, lotteries have been proven time and time again to target low-income families, thus negating any positive societal benefits they claim to bring. Vishal Gehrig of the University of Maryland states: "A study of lottery play among income classes in Maryland found that adults in the under $10,000 income group spent nearly three times more than those earning $50,000 or more. (In fact, twenty percent of players account for sixty-five percent of the total amounts wagered, and ten percent of players account for half.)" (source). He's not the only one that has found this - countless other studies continually prove that because of large marketing budgets and false claims of jackpots and odds, state lottery systems target and get money from the people who need it the most, thereby cultivating gambling addictions among the poorest segment of the population.

Sorry if this was too much reading, but I hope this gives a bit more insight into what we were trying to get at with this design. It wasn't meant to be just another logo flip.

The New York Lottery.
Robbing hoods since 1967.