Lottery likely in North Carolina
Kate Turner
Issue date: 4/22/05 Section: News
The chances of a lottery in North Carolina are now higher than ever. The House recently passed a bill supporting a lottery for the first time in North Carolina. Now the bill awaits a verdict in the Senate, where the last three proposed lottery bills have been passed.
The bill recommends that lottery proceeds go toward funding for public education and prescription drugs for senior citizens.
The bill also provides that, in order to maintain and oversee a state lottery, a state lottery commission must be installed. This commission would consist of seven members. The Governor would appoint three members, two would be appointed by the General Assembly with recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and two would be appointed by the General Assembly by recommendation of the Speaker of the House. A state lottery director will also be appointed by the governor.
A maximum of 16 percent of annual lottery revenue from all ticket sales and lottery game shares would finance this commission. A maximum of 50 percent of annual lottery revenue would go toward the distribution of lottery prizes. Six percent of the retail price of tickets or shares for each lottery game would compensate lottery game retailers, with a possible maximum incentive bonus from the commission of 1 percent.
Net revenues of the lottery would be divided among local school administrations and the Department of Health and Human Services. Seventy-five percent of net revenues would be distributed to local schools for the funding of construction and maintenance of school buildings and for information technology. Twenty-five percent of net revenues would fund a prescription drug benefit for senior citizens.
UNCW sophomore, Kurt Staiger expressed his views on a state lottery when he reported, "I think it's good, so long as the money goes mainly to education. The bottom line is a lottery is money for the state, and if our state can manage the money correctly then we should do it."
Randy Bobbitt, of UNCW's communication studies department, has conducted extensive research on the workings of lotteries and the analysis of the "lottery debate."
"I am disappointed that there will be no public vote on the lottery since there are no political races this year, just because I enjoy the political mud-slinging during the debates over a lottery. I am concerned about the two main venues that the proposed lottery plan supports. I don't believe that the lottery could do a good job of supporting both education and prescriptions for senior citizens [...] The goal of financing both would be too expensive for a lottery to support," Bobbitt said.
The bill recommends that lottery proceeds go toward funding for public education and prescription drugs for senior citizens.
The bill also provides that, in order to maintain and oversee a state lottery, a state lottery commission must be installed. This commission would consist of seven members. The Governor would appoint three members, two would be appointed by the General Assembly with recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and two would be appointed by the General Assembly by recommendation of the Speaker of the House. A state lottery director will also be appointed by the governor.
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A maximum of 16 percent of annual lottery revenue from all ticket sales and lottery game shares would finance this commission. A maximum of 50 percent of annual lottery revenue would go toward the distribution of lottery prizes. Six percent of the retail price of tickets or shares for each lottery game would compensate lottery game retailers, with a possible maximum incentive bonus from the commission of 1 percent.
Net revenues of the lottery would be divided among local school administrations and the Department of Health and Human Services. Seventy-five percent of net revenues would be distributed to local schools for the funding of construction and maintenance of school buildings and for information technology. Twenty-five percent of net revenues would fund a prescription drug benefit for senior citizens.
UNCW sophomore, Kurt Staiger expressed his views on a state lottery when he reported, "I think it's good, so long as the money goes mainly to education. The bottom line is a lottery is money for the state, and if our state can manage the money correctly then we should do it."
Randy Bobbitt, of UNCW's communication studies department, has conducted extensive research on the workings of lotteries and the analysis of the "lottery debate."
"I am disappointed that there will be no public vote on the lottery since there are no political races this year, just because I enjoy the political mud-slinging during the debates over a lottery. I am concerned about the two main venues that the proposed lottery plan supports. I don't believe that the lottery could do a good job of supporting both education and prescriptions for senior citizens [...] The goal of financing both would be too expensive for a lottery to support," Bobbitt said.