( CNN ) -- The NAACP chapter in Dallas is calling for an end to the Texas state lottery , saying the game drains the finances of low-income ticket-buyers who can least afford it , especially minorities . `` It 's an addiction , '' chapter President Juanita Wallace said . `` Many , many people have actually spent all their money in hope of getting out of a situation , when in fact , they 're getting themselves into a worse situation . '' She said one man she knew died last week without health insurance . `` He had an insurance policy , '' she said , `` and he withdrew all of the funds from the policy , actually , to play the lottery . '' Wallace also believes that minorities are disproportionately drawn to playing the lottery . `` The way things are set up in the store is targeted for black people and poor people , '' she said . A spokeswoman with the Texas Lottery Commission rejected that assertion , saying the Texas lottery does not target low-income areas specifically and does not market any differently from one demographic to another . Four $ 1M Powerball tickets sold in same county , at same chain . `` Our marketing and advertising efforts are designed to reach a broad audience of adult Texans , '' spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said . Wallace says her NAACP chapter is already lobbying lawmakers , as are organizations like the Baptist General Convention of Texas that were already opposed to the lottery . But at a convenience store in Dallas this week , some ticket-buyers did not appreciate the idea of losing the option of playing . `` It 's up to me , '' David Anderson told CNN affiliate station KTVT as he stood in line . `` If I make a certain amount , it 's up to me : Should I spend this $ 5 ( on a ticket ) ? Or should I go buy a loaf of bread and hamburger to feed the kids ? '' Professor Irwin Morris of the University of Maryland says low-income people are more likely to play the lottery , not necessarily because they are targeted but because they have more to gain . `` It 's an opportunity to change your living circumstances , '' he said . `` So for someone who 's already wealthy , it would take a dramatic lottery win -- a Lotto , let 's say -- to significantly change their living circumstances . If someone is of much more meager means , a much smaller win could literally change the character of their living circumstances . '' Adviser to lottery winners : Take the money and hush . As a result , he said , `` I think there is considerable evidence that the poor pay a greater portion of their income on lotteries than the wealthy . '' Statistics show that for the Pick 3 lottery in Texas , a third of people who make less than $ 20,000 play , but only about a quarter or fewer of people making more than $ 20,000 do . And for instant scratch-off tickets , the most popular game , unemployed people were more likely to play than employed people or retirees . Wallace says that means the people who can least afford it are the most likely to splurge . Lottery players point out that the games are fun to play , and they offer the hope of winning life-altering riches . The ticket sales also raise substantial revenues for state coffers . `` Since the first ticket was sold in 1992 , the Texas Lottery has generated $ 20 billion in revenue for the state , '' Cripe said , `` and contributed more than $ 14 billion to the Foundation School Fund . These are not insignificant numbers . '' Morris said he has not seen evidence that states with lotteries spend more on schools than states without . But now that states have come to rely on those revenues , he said , it would be difficult for a state to pull the plug on its lottery . `` If that were eliminated , '' he said , `` how difficult would it be politically to come up with the same amount of revenue through other taxes or fees ? '' School teachers become secret millionaires with Mega Millions win .
Dallas chapter says lottery drains money from those who can least afford it . Chapter president says lottery setup targets minorities . Lottery commission spokeswoman rejects claims , touts billions in revenues . Professor says low-income ticket-buyers have more to gain by playing .