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Lottery warnings wisely rejected

The Florida Lottery would have become the first lottery operator in the nation to issue warnings about playing its games under a bill passed by the Florida Legislature, but vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The legislation (HB 629) seems to be a good example of the law of unintended consequences, which often seems overlooked in legislation. While legislators may have been well intentioned about warning that gambling can be addictive—(well, duh!)—lottery officials noted a Revenue Estimating Conference estimate that doing so could cause a $64 million negative impact to education, which the lottery helps fund.

The lottery said the warnings could have also been problematic in multi-state games, such as Powerball, Mega Millions and Cash4Life. It wasn’t clear whether warnings would have been blessed by the other states.

Then there was the cost of working in warnings labels—”play responsibly” and “lottery games may be addictive.” Because the dual warnings would be needed under the legislation, lottery officials said it would drive up the cost of TV spot production and marketing. The lottery also would have to rebrand equipment with new warning labels.

But there was still more: Some retailers may have balked about having a product with warning labels. Licensed trademarks, such as “Monopoly,” might also have not wanted their brands with a product that requires a label.

By the way, lottery officials also say the stereotype of players as being low-income and uneducated are inaccurate. The typical player skews towards being a white male college graduate with a household income of $50,000 a year or more.

The warning labels also wouldn’t have said where to get help: 1-888-ADMIT IT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Drew Limsky

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BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.