LOTTERY ON SUNDAY

With no fanfare, more gambling came to Missouri earlier this month in the form of Sunday lottery drawings. Up till now, the state has avoided having lottery drawings on Sunday out of deference to the day of worship for the many church-going Missourians.

Gross sales for the Missouri Lottery have climbed since the Sunday drawing began, indicating acceptance from Missourians who like to gamble.

But for many Missourians who decry the reliance on gambling revenue as a way of funding government, the move to a Sunday drawing is another crack in the foundation of religious principles.

As one Cape Girardeau minister put it: "Gambling is either right or wrong, no matter when people do it."

The tussle between gambling revenue to offset taxes and the moral conviction of thousands of Missourians continues.