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N.C. Senate in no hurry to vote on lottery billNews Story
Not so fast, lottery lovers.North Carolina Senate leader Marc Basnight said Wednesday that he doesn't want to rush a lottery bill to a vote. We have no plans whatsoever, the Manteo Democrat said.Basnight said he wants to give senators time to discuss options. The Senate also might combine a lottery bill with new taxes.The Senate has been considered the more lottery-friendly of the two chambers, having passed lottery bills in 1989, 1991 and 1993. The Senate defeated a lottery plan in 1995.In 199
Apr 7, 2005, 10:12 am - Lottery News

In historic vote, N.C. House passes lottery billNews Story
The North Carolina House approved a lottery Wednesday in a vote that could bring a state-operated numbers game to the only state on the East Coast without one.The House voted 62-58 in favor of a measure bill that would dedicate profits from the games to school construction, scholarships and other education initiatives.The bill would also ban lottery advertising anywhere except the sites where the tickets are sold.Democratic Gov. Mike Easley has been pushing a lottery for education needs since ta
Apr 6, 2005, 5:12 pm - Lottery News

N.C. lottery vote may happen todayNews Story
The North Carolina House could vote on whether to start a North Carolina lottery as early as today, House Speaker Jim Black said Tuesday, but there could be plenty of reasons for a delay.Lottery supporters and opponents say there still doesn t appear to be enough votes to pass a bill, the details of which were still being worked out by leaders of a committee picked by Black. I m still thinking about (Wednesday), Black said of a floor vote. But he d be willing to wait, especially if he doesn t h
Apr 6, 2005, 10:21 am - Lottery News

N.C. legislators wary of retribution by lottery opponentsNews Story
If polls show over and over that two-thirds of North Carolinians support a state lottery, then why haven't legislators already adopted one?It is because what polls don't show is the intensity with which opponents fight a lottery and the fear that that prompts in some legislators - particularly those from swing districts. They're the people who will come after you, said Rep. Dewey Hill, D-Columbus, who recently switched his position to support a lottery. They will remember, and they'll come aft
Apr 4, 2005, 8:54 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery Foes Gather StrengthNews Story
A group of high-profile lottery opponents vowed Wednesday to fight efforts to bring scratch-off tickets and numbers games to North Carolina.As opponents gathered in the Legislative Building in Raleigh to voice opposition, members of a special House committee on the lottery filed the bill that they will use to craft a state lottery.The work on that bill, which does not yet include details of how a lottery would be set up, is set to be finished by April 11.The opponents said they were working one
Mar 31, 2005, 9:28 am - Lottery News

Oklahoma Lottery Commission Seeking Executive DirectorNews Story
Every day the state goes without a lottery is a lost opportunity for education funding, the Oklahoma Lottery Commission was told Tuesday by three people involved in starting up lotteries in other states.Hiring an executive director is the most important step and must be done quickly, said Rebecca Graham Paul, president and chief executive officer of Tennessee's lottery, which started up last year.Lottery commissioners have received 15 applications for executive director. Paul said the commission
Mar 30, 2005, 10:15 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery committe selected and moving quicklyNews Story
House Speaker Jim Black chose his top lieutenant Monday to lead a special committee whose mission is to fashion an education lottery bill on which the full chamber can vote.Rep. Bill Culpepper, chairman of the House Rules Committee, will also chair the 14-member House Select Committee on the Lottery, which will meet for the first time this afternoon.Black won't serve on the committee but hand-picked its members. They will examine three lottery bills introduced this year in the House before gener
Mar 30, 2005, 8:38 am - Lottery News

Opinion: Time has come for a lottery in North CarolinaNews Story
Charlotte Observer EditorialBy Jim Black, N.C. House SpeakerNorth Carolina must make the education of our children our number one priority and find the needed revenue to fund it. The future of our state and its people depend upon it.Unfortunately, the North Carolina legislature is facing a budget shortfall of more than $1.2 billion in the upcoming year. In order to continue improving education, legislators will either have to increase taxes or find new revenue sources to help fund education.Rais
Mar 28, 2005, 11:30 am - Lottery News

Money woes push some to reconsider N.C. lotteryNews Story
For years, North Carolina has held out against the nation's lottery boom, making it the largest of just 10 states in the nation without government-run gambling.Now, though, the numbers may finally be coming up in favor of a numbers game in the only East Coast state without one.The speaker of the state House of Representatives has said he now favors a lottery, joining second-term Gov. Mike Easley, a longtime proponent. Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, says he intends to bring a lottery bill to t
Mar 28, 2005, 10:51 am - Lottery News

Showdown over N.C. lottery coming within 2 weeksNews Story
If North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black has his way, the General Assembly will be plunged next month into a short, intense drama over whether state government should start a lottery.Last week, before the assembled capital press corps, Mr. Black, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County, repeated that he expects a vote on a lottery bill in the House within two weeks.Tonight, he will announce his appointments to a special committee that will work up the proposal, presumably during the next week. If th
Mar 28, 2005, 10:18 am - Lottery News