LJWorld.com / Lottery wins House vote, but with restrictions

Archive for Tuesday, February 6, 2001

The Associated Press

February 6, 2001

Topeka — A bill to extend the Kansas Lottery's life advanced Monday in the House, but members added amendments that agency officials said could hurt sales and cost the state money.

House members tentatively approved the bill on a voice vote. A final vote is scheduled for today, and passage then would send it to the Senate.

http://www.kslottery.com

The legislation would continue the lottery's operations until July 1, 2008, six years past its current shutdown date under state law of July 2, 2002.

As amended Monday, the House bill would ban lottery advertisements on the Internet and credit-card purchases of lottery tickets and require that the video Keno games be played five minutes apart instead of the current four minutes.

The House also added a proposal to dedicate $4 million in lottery revenues to a new program to lower airfares from Kansas airports. Wichita officials have complained about fares from that city's Mid-Continent Airport.

Executive Director Ed Van Petten said the advertising restriction could force the lottery to shut down its Internet site. He said the Keno change would reduce sales between $8 million and $10 million a year and cost the state $2.9 million in revenues.

Van Petten said he was disappointed that the House didn't keep the lottery bill amendment-free but added, "In the long run, they did support the lottery."

The proposed restrictions were backed by gambling opponents. Glenn Thompson, lobbyist for Stand Up for Kansas, said they were intended to make the lottery less addictive.

"I would prefer that we did not have a lottery at all," Thompson said. "If we're going to have a lottery, let's have some constraints on it."

Legislators from both parties expect the lottery to be renewed this year because it provides up to $60 million a year in revenues to the state. Voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the lottery in November 1986, and the first tickets went on sale a year later.

House Republican leaders had hoped to prevent the bill from being amended, so that the Senate could deal with it quickly. Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, said the provisions added by the House left the bill "thoroughly messed up."