Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
I haven’t seen anyone else report this story, which notes that the N.C. Lottery and minor league baseball have teamed up to allow gambling at baseball games. It appears that the lottery will be set up at McCormick Field for upcoming games.
I’m not sure what to think about this. On the one hand, I favor the lottery. And I love the Tourists. But pushing gambling at the ball field, where so many children come out for an evening, feels like too much to me. Then again, the Tourists have dollar beer. So maybe I’m just being too sensitive on this.
Here’s the story:
GREENSBORO – The NC Lottery has started combining lottery ticket sales with America’s pastime, baseball. This month, the NC Lottery started selling tickets in minor league ballparks in North Carolina.
Baseball fans who visited Greensboro’s New Bridge Bank Baseball Park on August 2nd to see the Greensboro Grasshoppers play may have been surprised to see a NC Lottery booth right by the front gate next to the beer vendors.
The big umbrella covered with the NC Lottery logo, green lottery booth and long rolls of lottery tickets on the grand stand next to hot dog vendors are a new sight to minor league baseball fans in North Carolina.
On August 2nd, the NC Lottery started their “road trip” to sell more tickets and to give the state-sponsored form of gambling a boost across the state.
“The NC Education Lottery is proud to be a sponsor of Minor League Baseball across the State in the 2008 season,” says the lottery on its website. “Come out to cheer on your local team and stop by the NC Education Lottery booth on the dates listed below!”
At the Greensboro game on August 2nd, the lottery booth was doing a brisk business of selling tickets to baseball fans.
The state lottery booth will be at Asheville Tourist, Carolina Mudcats, Durham Bulls, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Hickory Crawdads and Kannapolis Intimidators ball games on several dates this month.
The lottery also sponsors a “frozen t-shirt race” at each game where participants try to put on a frozen t-shirt at each base before making it to home plate in front of the crowd between innings.
The NC Lottery site says that they will also be at races and other events in North Carolina to promote their games. Previous event photos show adults and children gathering around the lottery booths at events.
the NC lottery is a rip off!