This article reports that amid tight budgets and shrinking revenue, states are wagering that voters in next month's elections will agree to expand state-sanctioned gambling in exchange for increased school aid. Initiatives on six state ballots Nov. 4 involve gambling revenue intended to raise money for everything from community college funding and college scholarships to general K-12 operating aid. For some school advocacy groups and teachers' unions, new or expanded gambling operations are a way to raise more funding when a tax increase isn't politically possible. Even before the current global financial crisis, the states' revenue outlook was bleak. The latest tally counted 31 states with budget deficits totalling $40 billion--funding gaps that have already prompted at least 12 states to make targeted cuts to K-12 programs.