61.   He said the government has tried to convince some of the bishops that the lottery was necessary to fight illegal gambling.

62.   Lotteries were part of government fund-raising in Britain from the days of Queen Elizabeth I and helped finance the losing war against the rebelling American colonists.

63.   Lotteries were popular bait.

64.   Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin has been quoted by newspapers as saying that lotteries are a good way of raising funds for charity purposes.

65.   Muslim clerics said the proposed lottery would have been a form of gambling, which is forbidden under Islamic and Indonesian law.

66.   Reuter said the government tried to convince some bishops that the lottery was necessary to curb illegal gambling.

67.   The lottery was once almost a sure bet to be approved, but it came under fire from religious groups who said it would exploit the poor.

68.   The lottery is also one way of creating jobs for the unemployed.

69.   The lottery is extremely popular in Thailand, and tickets are sold on the street by the disabled or poor farmers who have migrated to Bangkok.

70.   The lottery is open to Cubans who would not have been eligible for standard immigration or refugee visas.