I'm aware of the history of "numbers games" and concede that while state-run lotteries were instrumental in their demise, I am unconvinced state-run lotteries are still the optimal way of suppressing organized crime.

Haven't law enforcement tactics particularly against organized crime improved greatly in meantime? While there are important concerns about the scope and application of these laws and regulations, it seems to me that moving around large amounts of cash without the federal government noticing has become more difficult for criminals (and non-criminals) than ever before. And might modern illegal numbers games in immigrant communities be related to notoriously poor law enforcement involvement in those communities, which allows criminal numbers games to remain relatively unmolested?

Maybe I'm wrong about all of that, but something else to consider is whether gamified savings accounts might reduce demand for illegal numbers games just as state-run lotteries do. If gamified savings accounts can suppress illegal numbers games in the same way state-run lotteries do, while at the same time inflicting less harm on economically vulnerable populations, that seems like a win-win scenario.