Our government at work? The Pennsylvania Lottery today announced that it will host karaoke events at shopping malls across the commonwealth this month to celebrate the launch of its new American Idol instant game, which goes on sale today. Oh, and the “game” will cost you $5 a pop and that’s not in play money, so don’t look for the state to return any of it to your pocket when you check your losing tickets.
One of dictionary.com’s definitions of the word IDOL is “a mere image or semblance of something, visible but without substance, as a phantom.” With people gambling in the United States to the tune of $80 billion a year, including $3 billion on the Pennsylvania lottery, maybe we should ask: “Is gambling an American idol?”