Gambling: Talk About a Joystick . . .

Lotteries are already a "painless" way for states to raise revenue, but Minnesota may have found the easiest method yet. Next year the state's lottery, with the help of Control Data Corp., will test-market a system linking as many as 10,000 Nintendo video-game sets to the lottery's computers via phone lines. For a $200 advance deposit, money-mad Minnesotans will be given the necessary equipment to play all the state's gambling games at home. Despite barriers to prevent betting by minors, critics question the ethics of turning a children's toy into a one-armed bandit.