Search

Alabama lottery bill faces battle in HouseNews Story
Senators thought the lottery proposal they approved Friday directed 10 percent of the revenue toward Alabama's education budget, but it doesn't. An amendment was added earlier Friday to Senate Bill 3 to give the education budget a slice of the lottery money. But a subsequent amendment to send the first $100 million in revenue to the state Medicaid agency, deleted the education allocation. Whether that amendment will get back into the bill is now unknown. I'm going to talk to the House
Aug 21, 2016, 8:03 am - 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

Committee hears pros and cons of Alabama lotteryNews Story
Update: Committee approves both bills, sends to full Senate Bills to call for a constitutional amendment to establish a state lottery were debated this morning in an Alabama Senate committee. The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee held a public hearing on the second day of the special legislative session. The committee plans to meet again this afternoon and take votes on the bills. At the public hearing, several people spoke in opposition to a lottery and other forms of gambling,
Aug 16, 2016, 5:06 pm - Lottery News

Alabama lawmakers weigh in on lotteryNews Story
Several Montgomery-area lawmakers say they could support letting Alabamians decide whether the state has a lottery, and whether Powerball and Mega Millions tickets are sold locally. But they say they're unlikely to support any effort to allow electronic games at several sites around the state. The Legislature returns to the Statehouse on Monday to debate lottery legislation and likely other possible revenue fixes for the state. More money for the state Medicaid Agency in 2017 is a priority
Aug 14, 2016, 9:03 am - Lottery News

Alabama Gov. releases legislation for lotteryNews Story
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has released the legislation for his proposed lottery to support the state budget. The three-page bill, a proposed constitutional amendment, says lottery proceeds would go to the state General Fund. A copy of the bill is linked in the Related Links section below. It also calls for the establishment of a lottery commission to run the lottery. The commission would have seven members. They would be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The
Aug 8, 2016, 8:15 am - Lottery News

New Mexico lottery players now able to buy tickets at gas pumpsNews Story
A state lawmaker is concerned over a new program that allows people to purchase lottery tickets at gasoline pumps in New Mexico. The new program started a couple weeks ago despite a state statute requiring all lottery tickets be purchased only with cash or check and not with credit cards. It prints it out right there nice. I guess it'll save me a lot of time, a lottery player said Tuesday. Another Las Cruces resident is concerned: They need to have some sort of legislation to stop peop
Aug 4, 2016, 10:42 am - 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

Pennsylvania lottery winners now subject to state tax on prizesNews Story
By Todd Northrop The small number of states that don't tax lottery prizes has just shrunk by one state. Pennsylvania lawmakers approved levying new taxes Wednesday on a variety of different things including lottery prizes to help support the $31.5 billion state budget that went into effect earlier this week. The tax bill was approved by a 116-75 vote in the House and 28-22 vote in the Senate. Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf quickly signed the tax bill and related bills to complete the budget pro
Jul 20, 2016, 10:43 am - Lottery News