> For instance, as one camper noted, in just one lottery to hike Mount Whitney, more than 16,000 people applied, and only a third got in. Yet everyone paid the $6 registration fee, which means the gross income for that single location is over $100,000.

Wow, it's like those scummy all-pay auction sites you see advertised, where you can buy/win a TV for just $4.29. Incredible that this is allowed.

It sounds like there's still no answer as to whether Booz Allen was paid cash upfront to build the sites, and it is possible that the amount being paid is "fair" in some sense. But if they're making six-figures of profit on one lottery for Mount Whitney, that seems exceedingly unlikely.