Mississippi discussed lottery plans

The state’s committee held its last meeting to discuss if a lottery in Mississippi would be profitable.

The committee that has been studying the possibility of bringing a lottery to Mississippi held its last meeting last Thursday. According to estimations made by a state econimist, a lottery would eventually bring between US$82 and US$94 million annually in revenue.

Darrin Webb and other economists shared their thoughts and projections on what a lottery could bring to Mississippi. The meeting held last week is believed to be the last one from the study committee formed by House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton.

Webb told the nine-member panel that whilst it would bring significant revenue, a lottery would shift money away from retail sales: “It would create a slight decrease in total economic activity within the state,” he said and commented that sales would come from a loss in existing activity and that leakages would exist because of the state’s contribution to multi-state lottery payouts and operation costs.

The economist said that a lottery would bring US$101 to US$116 million to Mississippi’s general fund and would cost US$18.8 to US$22 million to retail sales tax collections. State Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach added that the information would be compiled in a report in December and would be available for legislators to read when the 2018 session starts in January. “We are presenting a report on the facts, not making a recommendation one way or another on a lottery,” said Bennett.

Larry Gregory, director of the Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association, added: “Mississippi’s regulated commercial casino gaming industry, which has operate successfully for 25 years, has been limited to adults at least 21 years old in counties along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. A lottery would spread its form of gambling to every community of our state with a minimum age of 18. This would be a seismic shift in Mississippi’s public policy on gambling.”