Lottery Coming To Mississippi ?
Jackson,MS
For those that want a Lottery in the state of Mississippi, there’s a good chance that it won’t even come up next month when legislators get together in their special session.
Governor Phil Bryant asked lawmakers this year to consider a lottery as a way to generate revenue because state tax collections have been falling behind expectations. He said Mississippi is losing money because residents are driving to other near-by states to buy lottery tickets, particularly when jackpots climb into multimillion dollar prizes.
Mississippi is one of six states without a lottery and several proposals to create one have died over the years, usually with little or no debate. Lottery proposals never gained any traction during the three-month regular legislative session.
Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves questioned whether a lottery would generate new revenue or would just shift the way people spend money.
House Speaker Philiip Gunn has said he does not expect the Governor to put a issue like a lottery on the special session’s agenda due to it being a potentially time-consuming issue.
