1987: Lotto
August 1, 2021
By AHNZ
Tonight in history, 1 August, 1987, Government Gambling was re-presented on live TV as “Lotto.” On-camera were 3 Government bureaucrats: Ross Kennedy (NZ Lotteries Comission,) Mike Jarmen (Internal Affairs,) Terry Murphy (Audit Office.) The State Theatre didn’t stop there…
How did it ever come to this? Governments were elected defend New Zealand and perhaps even build the roads or a postal system. By 1987, Labour 4.0 was supplying massive live TV gambling shows complete with music and dancing girls!?
For one thing, Labour 4.0 and their ‘New Right’/’Rogernomics’ ways were very unpopular and had to strive hard to win re-election. The Lotto circus of August 1st came only 2 weeks before the 1987 election and surely helped voters feel optimistic and even excited by the status quo portrayed by the gambling propaganda.
For another thing, the State Gambling racket needed to be cut down and replaced by something Labour 4.0 was in control of. The old regime, Golden Kiwi, had been installed by National 2.0 in 1961 and had been lining the pockets of their people. This politicisation of national gambling started out in 1929 in a very low key way for the sake of ‘the arts’ and the noble cause dear to Kiwis hearts at the time- establishing our own aviation fields.*
The truth about Government Gambling is not really about saving the nation by creating essential airports, aiding City Missions, buying wheelchairs, funding health research into spinabifada etc, funding sports foundations and arts, and old folks and building adventure playgrounds…
Labour 4.0 Captures Government Casino Via Reboot
I assume it was a priority of Labour 4.0’s first term to transfer the lucrative national gambling payroll into hands friendly to themselves.
‘The Golden Kiwi’ that feathered National’s nest would then have to be disestablished and replaced by ‘Lotto’. This sort of political move at once cuts off a supply of cash to the rival political group while establishing a new flow into the pockets of the establishment. A televised lottery probably would have happened much sooner in our history except that Golden Kiwi was (no proof) a National Party revenue stream so its life was unnaturally extended even though New Zealand had television for 20 years by now.
No evidence for any of this, it’s just an Anarchist’s pattern recognition having seen it a million times before. Doubtless also the reason that in 2019 The Police spent $2 million to change their phone number.
Capture the Silent Generation’s Retirement Money
This explains why early Lottoganda campaigns were conducted in a 1930s theme.
“Just in time for my grandad to have something to spend his pension money on” – Dan McGlashan
“This was followed by a series of ‘1930s musical’ advertisements which featured choruses of females with dollar bills pinned to their costumes, dancing on top of large silver coins singing a variation of ‘We’re in the money’ from Busby Berkeley’s 1930s film the Gold Diggers.”- Toward_an_ethnography_of_lotto.pdf
“As part of my research Lotto’s advertising campaign, “Happy Days Are Here Again”, began on the evening of Saturday 4 February 1989 and coincided with the $3 million ‘New Season Superdraw’. It consisted of a Depression era song (see below for lyrics), new dance steps and dazzling new costumes, including straw boater hats and striped blazers as a homage to the 1951 musical film, An American in Paris, though the connection remains unclear.” – Patrick Te Pou to AHNZ (2024)
So many people, even today, walking around the the propaganda-placed meme in their brain…“One day, when I win Lotto….” Tragic curse. The State in action.
Government Gambling
Government Gambling is about control of a stream of tax revenue not otherwise able to be captured because it is voluntary: It is a tax on the stupid! This true cause is second to the ‘bread and circus’ show for the masses to give false hope and inspiration of an afterlife of wealth if the poor voter will just keep from revolting and buy a ‘Lotto’ or ‘Instant Kiwi’ one more week at a time.
“Eighty people applied for the jobs of drawing the winners live every Saturday night. singer-actor-dancer Ann Wilson and Doug Harvey, station manager for Radio i, were the winners. Their prize is a future of being perpetually associated by vast numbers of New Zealanders with Lotto and the fickleness of fortune” – NZ Listner (1987)
Just as ‘Golden Kiwi’ had to expand itself to ‘Mammoth’, ‘Lotto’ expanded to something called ‘Powerball’ some years ago. When, finally, New Zealanders become disenchanted with the current form of Government Gambling it will simply change its face again. This cannot be far off. All that is required is enough of a regime change to cut off the old ‘Lotto’ revenue stream to their political competitors so a new pipe can be laid to their own pockets.
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Image ref. Ann Wilson and Dough Harvey, first Lotto presenters. Ref. Ross Land, New Zealand Listener (1987)
Image ref. Royal Variety Performance 1985 with a London cast, 42nd Street, Facebook
Image ref. Lotto’s A Ball campaign, Lotto Draw #35, Dan News Media, Youtube (2010)
Image ref. Lotto 1989 logo, enhanced AHNZ (2024)
* Note, the first recipient of the gambling money, Auckland Aero Club, soon took over the entire South Auckland farm their little club was in. It is today’s Auckland Airport. By 2020 history repeated as they sneakily bought up huge tracts of land in Tarras, Central Otago, to make yet another airport.
Note: Election:15 August 1987; 42nd Parliament. Labour 4.0 re-elected.
Note also: ‘Lotto’ tickets were to be purchased from ‘Lotto Shops’ as if they were a good or a service. The accurate name for a ‘shop’ the peddles gambling games is: Casino
Update 2024: Added comment from Patrick Te Pou
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