Comments on: Lottery Commission votes to join Powerball http://arkansasnews.com/2009/07/01/lottery-commission/ Your Source For Everything Arkansas Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:56:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: brbenson http://arkansasnews.com/2009/07/01/lottery-commission/comment-page-1/#comment-1724 brbenson Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:26:03 +0000 http://arkansasnews.com/?p=55854#comment-1724 Basically, the odds of an Arkansan winning the "Arkansas Lottery" just went from a possible 2.6 million to 1, to Tens-of-Millions" to 1. I'd rather have a potential 2.6 million to 1 chance of winning, say, $100,000 Grand Prize than a, say, 90 Million to 1 chance of winning $22 Million. Strating to look to me like the only "Arkansans" that will end up "winning" anything will be a couple of transplanted-South Carolinians who get double digit salaries out of the deal. All most people wanted who voted for this was a simple State Lottery -- then the politicians got involved -- as usual. Basically, the odds of an Arkansan winning the “Arkansas Lottery” just went from a possible 2.6 million to 1, to Tens-of-Millions” to 1. I’d rather have a potential 2.6 million to 1 chance of winning, say, $100,000 Grand Prize than a, say, 90 Million to 1 chance of winning $22 Million. Strating to look to me like the only “Arkansans” that will end up “winning” anything will be a couple of transplanted-South Carolinians who get double digit salaries out of the deal. All most people wanted who voted for this was a simple State Lottery — then the politicians got involved — as usual.

]]> By: the_floyd http://arkansasnews.com/2009/07/01/lottery-commission/comment-page-1/#comment-1712 the_floyd Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:16:05 +0000 http://arkansasnews.com/?p=55854#comment-1712 "State Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue said previously he expected Arkansas to start selling Powerball tickets in early 2010, but he told the commission Wednesday it may be possible to start this year, before tickets for daily numbers games go on sale." Actually, what he said, back in May during the Lottery Commission retreat was that Arkansas could join a multi-state lottery within the first 12 months of operation, but that "it wouldn't be the first thing I'd do." And Ray Thornton said at the time that he "didn't expect to join any mult-state games until the lottery has been in operation for a while." So why the change of plan? I'm not opposed to the lottery, and I'm not even upset about lottery salaries, but when I see what, in my opinion, is a complete 180 in policy or direction, and in the span of just a couple of months, I begin to wonder what other changes we have to look forward to in the coming months. Passailaigue had also advised the Lottery Commission to "keep politics out of this" and to be transparent in in lottery operations. We'll see how that goes. “State Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue said previously he expected Arkansas to start selling Powerball tickets in early 2010, but he told the commission Wednesday it may be possible to start this year, before tickets for daily numbers games go on sale.”

Actually, what he said, back in May during the Lottery Commission retreat was that Arkansas could join a multi-state lottery within the first 12 months of operation, but that “it wouldn’t be the first thing I’d do.” And Ray Thornton said at the time that he “didn’t expect to join any mult-state games until the lottery has been in operation for a while.”

So why the change of plan?

I’m not opposed to the lottery, and I’m not even upset about lottery salaries, but when I see what, in my opinion, is a complete 180 in policy or direction, and in the span of just a couple of months, I begin to wonder what other changes we have to look forward to in the coming months. Passailaigue had also advised the Lottery Commission to “keep politics out of this” and to be transparent in in lottery operations. We’ll see how that goes.

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