I believe the government is the only entity on the planet that could lose money by having a monopoly on wine and spirit sales. It makes sense though considering that government agencies design their contraptions and “services” around politically correct ideals instead of consumer demands:
In a report issued today, Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner says the state liquor control board’s wine vending machines, a wonderful illustration of what happens when a government monopoly tries to act more like a business, are operating at a loss, costing taxpayers more than $1 million since they were introduced a year ago.
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When they are working, the kiosks dispense a limited selection of wines at limited locations and times (not on Sunday, of course!) to customers who present ID, look into a camera monitored by a state employee, breathe into a blood-alcohol meter, and swipe a credit card.
I think I see how they’re losing money. When people want to purchase alcohol, like any other product, they don’t want to be hassled anymore than they absolutely have to be. In other words people want to walk in, make their selection, show their state issued identification, pay the cashier, and leave. Making a customer also submit to a breathalyzer test and having their image monitored by some hidden state employee are going to create a rather annoying hassle, especially when the selection of liquor is limited.