Lottery Makes the Ballot

Arkansas voters will weigh in this fall on a constitutional amendment that would allow a state lottery after Lieut. Gov. Bill Halter said last week that enough signatures have been collected to get the lottery proposal he sponsored on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Lottery earnings would be dedicated to college scholarships for state residents at private and public institutions in Arkansas.

Halter said his Hope for Arkansas Committee has the required 77,468 signatures on the lottery petition, but the group will continue the petition drive in hopes of reaching the 100,000 level.

The petition must have signatures from at least 15 of the state’s 75 counties and each of those counties’ petitions must have signatures equal to at least 5% of the votes cast in it for the last governor’s race.

Halter said the lottery would raise about $100 million a year. However, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration estimates a lottery would generate about $55 million.

The proposed amendment would repeal the state constitution’s lottery prohibition.

Voters turned down proposals in 1996 and 2000 that would have allowed lotteries, but both would also have legalized casino gambling.

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