By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — The position of Arkansas lottery director should go to someone who has lottery experience, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter said Friday.
Halter, who has been acting governor this week while Gov. Mike Beebe has been in Arizona on a golfing trip, was asked Friday about names that have been circulating as possible candidates for the job of lottery director.
Halter said the selection of a director would be up to the Arkansas Lottery Commission, and he would not comment on individuals who might or might not be considered. When asked if the job should go to an Arkansan, he said, “I think most folks that you talk to would hope that the person selected has an extensive amount of lottery experience.”
Lotteries were illegal in Arkansas until last year, when voters approved a constitutional amendment proposed by Halter to permit a state-run lottery to fund college scholarships. Forty-two other states have lotteries.
Legislators have said they expect lottery tickets to go on sale this fall and the first lottery-funded scholarships to be awarded next year.
The newly appointed nine-member state Lottery Commission, which will manage lottery operations, is scheduled to hold its first meeting May 5. Halter said he may attend the meeting, depending on what is on the agenda, but he emphasized that he will not tell the commission what to do.
“I would like the power of ideas from all different parts of our community, and the independent commission doing their own very careful assessment, to be the dominant force in these decisions,” he said. “Put in a different way, I don’t want this to be anybody’s political play toy. That is one of the fastest ways that we can undermine our state lottery right out of the chute.”
Halter made his remarks during and after a speech to the Arkansas chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. He told the group he expects the lottery to generate $100 million annually in net proceeds and “several hundred million” in gross proceeds.
Halter said he did not know how much of the proceeds would be spent on advertising, but he said the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries recently surveyed about two dozen state lotteries and found that advertising budgets typically equaled about 1 percent of gross ticket sales.
He also noted that the association has “a code of do’s and don’ts” for lottery advertising. The “do’s” include upholding the integrity of the games, recognizing the diversity of the audience being addressed, emphasizing the entertainment value of the games, explaining where lottery proceeds are going and stating the odds of winning.
The “don’ts” include glamorizing excessive play, using minors in advertising, promoting the lottery as an alternative to work and implying that the games involve skill, he said.
An audience member asked Halter what his next project will be and if he is considering running for the U.S. Senate.
“I am raising money for re-election,” Halter said. “To what comes next, I will give you … two words: Stay tuned.”
