Amendment would allow state-run lottery in Arkansas

State lotteries have been occurring throughout the United States for the last 40 years. Arkansas is one of only eight states that does not take part in any type of lottery.

In July the Arkansas Secretary of State's office certified a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow for a state-run lottery to be placed on the ballot in November.

Officials from the Arkansas Family Council argue against the proposed lottery amendment saying the revenue created from the lottery would not be as great as lottery supporters think.

First of all, voters should decide whether or not to have lottery games in the state. It is these people who will be playing the games, and it is these people who will benefit from the lotteries.

Officials who support the lottery amendment say money can be raised and put into the education system, college scholarships in particular.

Granted, this sounds great, but how will the income will be distributed? Will this money increase the current budget for education or only complement other taxes to equate to current budget standards?

Some officials say the annual income from a lottery could be $100 million annually. Regardless, if this is an overestimation, I think the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration's estimate of $55 million dollars introduced into Arkansas' economy would be fine too.

The Arkansas Family Council also argues that by amending the state's constitution, it would allow casinos into the state. Again, people should be able to decide for themselves if they wish to have casinos, and then they can decide if they wish to visit these establishments.

Finally, it is also a concern that lottery players "are often disproportionately concentrated in low-income and minority communities." The same theory gets tossed around when people talk about bringing alcohol into a dry county. I can only think of one word, education.

Maybe with more income from a lottery, the state can educate more individuals and offer them an opportunity at a higher education by creating more scholarships for minorities or low-income individuals.

For more information go to: http://ppc.uaex.edu/ballot/amendment3/FSPPC304.pdf.