When families don’t know how they’ll afford their next meal, Maryland’s government should not be encouraging them to gamble.
The Maryland Lottery has long been described as a “voluntary tax.” It’s a system that draws billions of dollars each year from Marylanders hoping that luck might change their circumstances. But time and again, the data shows that the highest per-capita lottery sales come from the same neighborhoods with the highest rates of poverty and the greatest number of families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
That’s not a coincidence — it’s a reflection of economic despair. And when federal food assistance is disrupted, that despair deepens.
We are now facing a moment when the stability of federal SNAP funding is in question. Across Maryland, thousands of households rely on these benefits every month to put food on the table. For many, they are the difference between getting by and going hungry. If those benefits are delayed or suspended, even temporarily, the moral responsibility of state government must be clear: We should not continue promoting or profiting from gambling while families wait for the certainty of their next meal.
Gov. Wes Moore’s position — that Maryland cannot afford to use state funds to temporarily cover federal food assistance — only underscores the need for my proposal. If the state will not step in to sustain food security for the 680,000 Marylanders who depend on SNAP benefits, then it has an even greater moral obligation to stop profiting from their hardship. The governor says, “There is no balance sheet to make up for when” the federal government walks away. But if we lack the means to fill the grocery gap, how can we justify continuing to advertise and sell games of chance that extract billions from the same working families left wondering how to feed their children?
More than one in nine Maryland residents — roughly 680,000 people — rely on SNAP to put food on the table, receiving an average of just $180 per month. For many, that modest amount is the difference between eating and going hungry. When those benefits are threatened, the state should not continue promoting gambling as a substitute for opportunity. If Gov. Moore will not deploy emergency funds to replace lost federal support, then at the very least he should have the courage to pause the Maryland Lottery until those benefits resume. Anything less tells struggling families that while the state can’t help them buy groceries, it will gladly keep selling them a ticket to false hope.
That’s why I am calling on Gov. Wes Moore to immediately suspend all Maryland Lottery sales — retail and online — whenever federal SNAP disbursements are disrupted.
This is not about punishing anyone; it’s about protecting those most at risk. The purpose of this suspension would be simple: When the government can’t guarantee that food assistance is available, it should not simultaneously market scratch-offs and jackpot dreams to the same families standing in line at the grocery store.
A temporary pause would send a powerful message: that Maryland’s priorities are with its people, not its profit margins. The billions spent each year on lottery tickets could instead be redirected, even briefly, toward the necessities of life — food, rent, heat and medicine.
The mechanics of this policy are straightforward. The governor could issue an executive order directing the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency to suspend ticket sales upon federal notification of a SNAP lapse. Lottery advertising could be paused and those marketing resources temporarily reallocated to emergency food programs or nonprofit hunger relief efforts. A fiscal report could later measure the revenue impact against the social benefit of keeping more household dollars in local communities during times of need.
Even a short suspension — days or weeks — would demonstrate that Maryland’s government has its priorities in the right order.
The Maryland Lottery generated roughly $2.7 billion in sales last year. But nearly a quarter of that total came from Prince George’s County alone, where many residents also depend on federal nutrition benefits. We cannot ignore that reality while the federal government debates whether to fund the next round of SNAP payments.
This proposal is not partisan — it is moral. If state government can pause construction contracts, grants and discretionary projects during federal uncertainty, it can certainly pause the sale of scratch-off tickets and Pick 3 games.
When the most vulnerable among us face hunger, Maryland must have the courage to say: When families go hungry, the lottery should pause.
Governor Moore has often said that his administration’s mission is to “leave no one behind.” Today, that commitment is being tested. I urge him to act immediately — because leadership means choosing people over profit, especially when it matters most.
Republican state Sen. Steve Hershey (steve.hershey@senate.state.md.us) represents Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s counties. He is serving as the Senate minority leader.
