Sweden, like most European countries, has a number of governmentally-run state lotteries that are an efficient extra tax on the people who can’t math properly. Because of the jackpot sizes (nine-figure euro or dollar amounts), they are still hugely popular. From June 1, the Swedish state lottery requires people who want to buy a simple lottery ticket to identify and register.
For some time, the Swedish governmental lottery has allowed people to identify and register, in which case, the lottery will perform the service of checking each lottery ticket for winnings and depositing any winnings directly into the winner’s bank account. This has been a provided and convenient service.
However, as of June 1, this service instead goes full mandatory surveillance, requiring people to show proof of identity and be entered into a “register of gamblers” with the lottery – and since the lottery is a governmental monopoly, register with the government.
The governmental lottery is trying to spin this with all the usual words like “responsibility”, but in reality, what is happening here is yet another large stride into a full-blown surveillance state. This is not taking responsibility; this is absconding it and going full retard.
UPDATE: As pointed out, the registration can also be denied pretty much at the state lottery’s discretion. Therefore, this is more than a registration; this is a lottery playing permit.
We’re already required to apply for permits to exercise the most mundane rights like freedom of assembly and freedom of speech in public – this is a red flag. Another. (For the record, if you need a permit to exercise a freedom, it isn’t a freedom at all.)
now just think about what else the government is going to be doing with all the information it is gathering from and about people. it will start to sell it, regardless of whether people want their information sold or not. then the information will be lost or misplaced, as it has happened in other countries. then you will have the situation of matching the information to internet use and ultimately to the entertainment industries. then there will be accusations and law suits, all based on info given to whoever it can be given to for the purpose of legal action.
what the hell is going on in Sweden? it is going back to the days of fascism. dont tell me the government is built on relatives of the Third Reich and they are trying to take over? first the country, then the world?
Registering everyone for lottery is a good thing. Old people spend more money than they can afford on this scam. The Government need to identify the gamblers and prevent people who cannot afford it to waste their money on it. This is what socialist Governments should mandate and block places like Nevada, Macau, Monaco if those don’t register all the gamblers there.
Here in Sweden only the government is allowed to run those scams in the first in the first place. They have a monopoly on casinos too…
In Spain, there are quite a few rich people who have used lottery as a mains of laundering their illegal benefits… The most popular case is from the former Valencian president, and leader of the Valencian Popular Party, Carlos Fabra: between the years 2000 and 2012 he won the annual National Lottery about 8 to 10 times. Impressive luck? I guess that could be seen if there was a registry like in Sweden, where the participants registered before the raffle.
I realize that you’re simply quoting a rather tired meme, but although I certainly disagree with what the Swedish government is doing in this instance, using the epithet “retard” seems unnecessary, and given the stupidity of the government’s actions, a disservice to the mentally challenged.
Maybe the only reason that they do this is to keep the millions of taxes for the math-challenged in Sweden. Foreigners can no longer claim the prize if they don’t live there.
The smallest 9-figure dollar amount is $100 000 000 or about 660 090 000 SEK, which is about three times the largest ever swedish lotto win (237 697 528 SEK), from what I can gather.
So it should probably be 8-figure dollar/euro amounts, yes?
(I apologize for nitpicking.)
BTW, how the heck is the lottery a scam? The odds are rather awful, as is the expected value, but they *do* pay out big when you win, so I don’t think it qualifies as a scam.
If you look at the Eurojackpot lottery from Svenska Spel, you’ll see that the winnings can well eclipse that, even if none of them have gone to Sweden. Also, that part described European lotteries in general, where jackpots of €100,000,000+ aren’t uncommon (see Euromillions et al).
Cheers,
Rick
While the Dinosaurs are having a good time at the playground called parliament
adults are shaping the future by technological means.
This video for example demonstrates a Lotto app using Ethereum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldJcw7JPHz0&feature=youtu.be
The future is now.
[…] the Iron Law marches on. Here’s the next example of its […]
The main reason for this isn’t really only surveillance, it’s more of a economic decision. They’re forcing every customer to get the card, because it’s a shoe-in for using there own site for gambling. They don’t have to maintain the terminals (over 6000) with spareparts, they don’t have to have the same huge datapark etc etc. With that said, the surveillance aspect is still there, in second place.
Who cares about government anyway.
Belief in government is a religion, and the only authority they have is the one you give them by
agreeing to fight them or submit to whatever next thing they come up with as “the law”.
That is to say “I need to have my freedom granted to me by government as i belive they can take this freedom also”
The reality is that you have this freedom regardless of government, as a human beeing.
Let them have their registration scam and survailence state until they die out like the record stores or vhs player.
We will build mesh networks, use bitcoin and other crypto currencies, order medicine and drugs online.
And when the state is depleted of it’s resources, we will install private arbitration services to take care of dispute resolution and crime.
http://www.amazon.com/Most-Dangerous-Superstition-Larken-Rose/dp/145075063X
The point i am making here is that a government never take or give you rights, it can only harass you to a minimum extent or to a maximum extent.
Fighting a government is futile in the long term, since the state will always expand to the maximum after a while.
Abolishment is the key, and a good system to replace it with.
http://mises.org/books/marketforliberty.pdf
Spoken like a naive 16-year-old. Sure, remove all laws and restraints, let’s all have our freedoms (who says you are free to do anything you want?) , and private arbitration services will take care of disputws and crimes. Right. And we will all join hands and sing “Kumbaya”. You need to read grownup books about human psychopathologies, also Voltaire and “Lord of the Flies”. Sheesh.
Sweden is in the process of registering immigrants (even those that are Swedish citizens), based upon their ethnic background, for reporting back to the government where they came from, so that they may be given life-changing penalties from the foreign government. As we speak, Sweden is working to craft legislation to allow this to happen. But, it’s a country that Sweden bends down to, so there is no reaction.
Sweden will implement the law of another nation, in Sweden.
Sweden banks are already implementing these laws from another country in Sweden.
This will cost Swedish banks billions of SEK to implement the laws of a foreign country inside Sweden.
http://www.riksdagen.se/sv/Start/Sok/?sok=FATCA&searchtype=all&facets=1&a=s&sortorder=desc&sort=rel
http://bancdelasteroideb612.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/checklist-for-your-fatca-iga-on-your-asteroid-or-in-your-country/
Good, maybe the next step can be to send them back and close the border.
pssst–one of them is the daughter of the Swedish princess.
This law makes Sweden the territory of the USA. Welcome to America!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-EVF7CZt_w
Here is how it works. It’s a good video, and explains how Sweden will succumb.
It sounds like the right thing to do to protect Swedish society from criminals from other countries, placing the burden on the country of origin – it may actually save Sweden some money, if the criminal can be sent back to serve their sentences, so Sweden will not be burdened with their care and feeding . Works for me.
There were outcries about Eritrea’s similar taxation of its expats which resulted in a Security Council enactment of a resolution of condemnation and the imposition of sanctions against that tiny country. It was none other than Susan Rice, then the US Ambassador to the UN, who led the charge against Eritrea, and that resolution no. 2023 in 2011 was enacted without a even one dissenting vote.
all I can say is My G-d! WHY do people vote at all. You don’t really know do you – who that person really is that you put your precious cross next to.
The best solution is that each citizen is automatically entered into the weekly lottery by their unique ID number. Each citizen gets 52 times the weekly entry amount taken out as a tax from their income or savings.
When a citizen wins the lottery, they should be taxed at 80%.
Problem solved.