But the official line denies that this constitutes gambling. It is, rather, government-provided “fun” — and it raises money for the schools! One hundred percent of the state’s proceeds go to Virginia’s K-12 education system, the lottery website notes. (It does not note that this transfer thereby frees up money for lawmakers to spend on other things.)

Likewise, you can bet on horse races in Virginia by attending a race at Colonial Downs in New Kent. Mind you, this is not gambling for gambling’s sake, either. Rather, it is a way to sustain the Old Dominion’s venerable equine industry. “No sport or pastime,” held a Virginia judge in 1851, “has been more favourably [sic] and extensively indulged by all ranks of society in Virginia than horse racing.” No one may call himself a true son of the state unless he not only knows the name of Robert E. Lee’s horse (Traveller) but also can spell it correctly (two l’s).