Arkansans vote to have state lottery

More scholarship money may soon be available for students after Arkansans voted Tuesday to pass the amendment creating a state lottery.

The lottery is expected to bring in around $100 million in revenue, which will go to fund college scholarships within the state.

According to arkansasbusiness.com, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter said, "I think Arkansans are saying with a very loud voice that they want to improve the affordability and the accessibility of college for our students."

Legislators in Arkansas have been proposing various bills and amendments for a state lottery since at least 2005.

In January Lt. Gov. Halter personally proposed the amendment that was voted on during Tuesday's elections, after receiving a record number of petitioners.

The amendment was officially put on the ballot in July but received opposition up until Election Day.

The Arkansas Family Council filed a lawsuit in September to have the lottery amendment taken off the ballot.

The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled a month later that the issue would remain on the ballot for the people of Arkansas to consider.

Before the election the amendment also received opposition from the United Methodists Against Gambling (UMAG) and the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church.

According to arkansasmatters.com, these two groups issued a statement Tuesday night saying they deeply regret that Amendment 3 passed.

"Our next step must be to persuade the legislature to reject lotteries or, at least, severely restrict them, while finding other revenue to fund college scholarships," Scott Trotter, UMAG co-chair, said.

ASU students were split about the lottery decision. Many voted for the amendment, with the expectations of a cheaper education.

"When they said that the money would go to state education more, it sounded like a good thing," Leslie Ann Lewallen, a junior English major from Pocahontas, said.

Others felt they would prefer college funding to come from other sources.

"I'm not against higher education scholarships, but I do think it should come from another source because basically, if you think about it, the people who are seeking higher education scholarships are usually those of the lower class who are spending all their money on lottery tickets," Elizabeth Asbury, a senior communications disorders major from Little Rock, said.