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Mississippi lawmaker forms group to study why lottery would be bad for stateNews Story
Your tax dollars at work Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said weeks ago that he would form a group to study the pros and cons of starting a state lottery. As the group met for the first time Wednesday, Gunn repeated his opposition to the game of chance. I do not believe a lottery is based on sound economic policy, and it violates a number of conservative, Republican principles, Gunn, a Republican who is also a leader in his local Baptist church, said in a news release. The purpo
May 4, 2017, 8:12 am - Lottery News

Odds of a Mississippi Lottery still long, but may be improvingNews Story
Democratic Rep. Alyce Clarke, who has represented Jackson in the Mississippi Legislature since 1985, is persistent. She has been an author of legislation to create a lottery in Mississippi every session since 2003. This year, as often is the case, she has two bills filed, one to create a lottery after a statewide vote and another to simply enact the lottery after the passage of her legislation. Clarke believes lottery revenue could be used to fund a college scholarship program as it is in
Jan 8, 2017, 1:45 pm - Lottery News

New Jersey makes case to Supreme Court on sports bettingNews Story
New Jersey's chances of getting the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its attempt to allow legal sports gambling hinge on how a bedrock constitutional principle is applied. The state argued in briefs this week that Congress is barred from forcing states to repeal or reinstate their own laws. That's a reference to an issue at the heart of a lawsuit by the NCAA and the four major pro sports leagues, who argue a 1992 federal law barring all but four states from authorizing sports gambling derails N
Dec 28, 2016, 8:45 pm - Lottery News

Mississippi voters approved a lottery 24 years ago, so where is it?News Story
Every time a Powerball jackpot grows to life-altering levels, Mississippians pour across the state line to buy tickets. Americans spent $73 billion on lottery tickets last year, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. Mississippi voters approved a state lottery back in 1992, but the Legislature never followed up and has voted down all of the dozens of bills introduced to legalize the lottery. In the last session, Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, sp
Oct 9, 2016, 8:05 am - Lottery News

Mississippi lottery talk likely to coalesce odd coalitionNews Story
Analysis: Natural foes to reunite yet again in opposition to lottery efforts Nothing puts preachers and their flocks in political cahoots with the state's casino gaming industry barons faster than any serious talk of Mississippi authorizing a state lottery. Fellow scribe Geoff Pender told us last week in a story about the possible prospects of Mississippi adopting a state lottery that Gov. Phil Bryant is open to a discussion of a state lottery. The exact quote Pender attributed to Bryan
Oct 6, 2016, 11:11 am - Lottery News

Mississippi Gov. says he's open to discussing state lotteryNews Story
Creating a lottery has been mostly just a sidebar debate in Mississippi and the Legislature for decades oft discussed, but never gonna happen. Ever since former Gov. Ray Mabus' ill-fated push for one in 1990 helped get him un-elected, any effort to create a lottery has faced a certain gubernatorial veto and was, therefore, moot. That appears to have changed. As recently as January, Gov. Phil Bryant called the idea of a lottery a silly notion, and more directly said, I am not for it.
Oct 1, 2016, 9:32 pm - Lottery News

Alabama lottery debate: Senators try to reach compromise on 2 proposalsNews Story
Alabama senators on Wednesday remained divided on lottery proposals as they tried to strike compromise on gambling that has so far been elusive. Senators began debate on dueling lottery proposals. One bill is a proposal backed by Gov. Robert Bentley to establish a state lottery. The other would authorize a lottery and also allow electronic lottery terminals which can be similar to slot machines or video poker at four state dog tracks. I think there is a chance that we will get something t
Aug 17, 2016, 10:12 pm - Lottery News

New York Governor signs bill to allow daily fantasy sportsNews Story
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law Wednesday to allow the resumption of daily fantasy sports in New York. The measure calls the popular online contests a game of skill. That legal definition resolves the central argument in a lawsuit brought against the country's two top fantasy-sports companies by the state attorney general. He had likened the online matches to illegal gambling operations based on chance. This legislation strikes the right balance that allows this activity to conti
Aug 4, 2016, 8:56 am - Lottery News

Alabama governor calls special session for state lotteryNews Story
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley believes a statewide lottery is the permanent solution to fixing Alabama's funding woes, and Wednesday, he called for a special session to discuss the proposal. In a video released on the Office of the Governor website Wednesday morning, Bentley said the goal is to get the proposal passed by the Legislature and hold a statewide vote on amending the state's constitution to allow for a lottery. The time has come for us to find a permanent solution. This solution
Jul 27, 2016, 8:02 pm - Lottery News

Alabama may try lottery vote in special sessionNews Story
According to Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, Alabama lawmakers are being polled in regard to their support for legislation establishing a lottery ahead of a presumed special session. Gov. Robert Bentley said last week he's considering a special session to tackle budget issues, such as the lingering $85 million gap in the state's Medicaid program. Lawmakers funded up to $700 million for Medicaid, which requires at least $785 million to operate. A special session would be called
Jul 25, 2016, 12:08 pm - Lottery News