  I propose the establishment of a SETI Lottery Bond to provide a continued
source of funding for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). The
SETI Lottery Bond is a fixed rate perpetual bond with a lottery at maturity,
where maturity occurs only upon discovery and confirmation of extraterrestrial
intelligent life. Investors in the SETI Lottery Bond purchase shares that yield
a fixed rate of interest that continues indefinitely until SETI succeeds---at
which point a random subset of shares will be awarded a prize from a lottery
pool. SETI Lottery Bond shares also are transferable, so that investors can
benefact their shares to kin or trade them in secondary markets. The total
capital raised this way will provide a fund to be managed by a financial
institution, with annual payments from this fund to support SETI research, pay
investor interest, and contribute to the lottery fund. Such a plan could
generate several to tens of millions of dollars for SETI research each year,
which would help to revitalize and expand facilities such as the Allen
Telescope Array. The SETI Lottery Bond is a savings product that only can be
offered by a financial institution with authorization to engage in banking and
gaming activities. I therefore suggest that one or more banks offer a
lottery-linked savings product in support of SETI research, with the added
benefit of promoting personal savings and intergenerational wealth building
among individuals.
