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N.C. Governor Signs Historic Lottery BillNews Story
The lottery is now law in North Carolina, but not even the governor is willing to bet publicly on when the games will begin.A jubilant Gov. Mike Easley waited just a day after the Senate approved the lottery bill to make it law. His signature capped two decades of effort to bring a lottery to North Carolina, the only state on the East Coast without a game. Easley had pushed lawmakers since his first campaign for governor in 2000 to relent so the state could generate money for its education needs
Aug 31, 2005, 8:08 pm - Lottery News

What's next for the N.C. lotteryNews Story
Here's a quick look at what will happen next for the North Carolina lottery, which received final legislative approval Tuesday:BILL SIGNING: Democratic Gov. Mike Easley will sign the bill into law Wednesday.LOTTERY COMMISSION: The governor, the Senate president pro tempore and House speaker will appoint the nine members of the North Carolina State Lottery Commission. The commission will hire a director, who with approval of the commission, can hire an outside firm to operate the games.ADVERTISIN
Aug 30, 2005, 9:42 pm - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery Bill Passed by SenateNews Story
From the clutches of defeat, North Carolina lottery proponents have snared victory.The state Senate came back to Raleigh Tuesday and approved a lottery by one vote, 25-24.Before Tuesday, North Carolina was the only state on the East Coast without a state-run numbers game.The Senate vote was tied 24-24, but Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue, the Senate's presiding officer, cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of creating the lottery.Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand brought up the bill for conside
Aug 30, 2005, 2:52 pm - Lottery News

N.C. lottery foes caught in game of 'Wack-a-Mole'News Story
North Carolina residents and lawmakers opposed to a lottery in their state find themselves figuratively caught in a game of Wack-a-Mole, in which their foes keep popping up despite their best efforts to knock them down.The latest pro-lottery weapon: tax threats.N.C. senators today could be faced with either passing a state lottery or endorsing higher taxes for dozens of counties.The House passed a bill 73-42 Monday that would allow dozens of counties including Mecklenburg and Catawba to rai
Aug 30, 2005, 10:51 am - Lottery News

No lottery for N.C. pleases S.C. retailersNews Story
With North Carolina's lottery hopes dashed until at least next year, some of South Carolina's top retailers say they're pleased to maintain the region's lottery monopoly.But despite relying heavily on Tar Heel residents for sales, retailers here say they were never really worried to begin with.Some stores along the state line in northern York County estimate that around 80 percent of their lottery sales come from North Carolina, though workers said Wednesday they weren't fretting over the potent
Aug 25, 2005, 1:38 pm - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery Appears Dead as Senate AdjournsNews Story
They've finally adjourned, but there's no guarantee that the North Carolina Senate can go home.The General Assembly worked until sunrise to just about finish this year's legislative session. Senate leader Marc Basnight gave up on passing a lottery before going home and he said that, barring unusual circumstances, the lottery is dead for the year. It may come up again when lawmakers reconvene in May.Legislators managed to approve new lobbying rules, and the Senate agreed to a compromise on new re
Aug 24, 2005, 11:09 am - Lottery News

Lottery plan dies in N.C. SenateNews Story
North Carolina Senate lottery supporters early this morning threw away the last chance to bring games to the state this year.Senate lawmakers worked to give final approval to a flurry of pending bills before adjourning for the year.The absence of Republican Sens. Ham Horton and John Garwood, of Forsyth and Wilkes counties respectively, gave lottery supporters the two votes they needed to approve the measure.But Senate President Marc Basnight, D-Dare, announced at 2 a.m. that the chamber would ho
Aug 24, 2005, 10:39 am - Lottery News

N.C. lottery still 1 vote shy of passingNews Story
Raleigh political watchers are trying to figure out whether North Carolina legislators will get a final chance for the year to pass a state lottery.The Senate's biggest lottery advocate says he's trying to figure out the same thing. I don't know where any of this is, said Senate Democratic Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, of the potential for a Senate lottery vote. Rand is in charge of finding more yes lottery votes.Senate leaders say they're one vote short and there are no signs they've convi
Aug 23, 2005, 5:24 pm - Lottery News

N.C. lottery bill weakeningNews Story
After two decades of losing, it finally looked like supporters of a lottery in North Carolina had themselves a winner. But the lottery now looks like a sure thing that started strong and faded down the stretch.A vote shy in the state Senate, supporters are coming up short against a coalition that has yet to back down. And so unless leaders can shake loose one more yes vote, North Carolina appears all but certain to remain the only state on the East Coast without a lottery for another year. I d
Aug 20, 2005, 1:09 am - Lottery News

While N.C. lottery bill sits, backers and critics waitNews Story
Last week, Matt Jameson fumed after reading about the North Carolina General Assembly balking at passing a state lottery. One vote short? What kind of nonsense is that? They could pass a lottery if they want to; this is nothing but politics, he said.This week Jameson has resolve to vote against any lawmaker who fails to support a lottery. Jameson plays the lottery in Virginia periodically and said he'd rather spend his money in North Carolina than out-of-state. It's ridiculous. Every poll I've
Aug 17, 2005, 9:21 pm - Lottery News