Mississippi’s legislative lottery study committee recently held its first meeting in Jackson. Committee leader state Rep. Richard Bennett said the group will gather facts but will not make a recommendation for or against a lottery. “We are not looking for any particular outcome. We want to be as objective, independent, as possible,” Bennett said.
Mississippi is one of six states without a lottery. Earlier this year Governor Phil Bryant asked lawmakers to consider a lottery to generate new revenue, since tax collections have steadily declined. Bryant requested House Speaker Philip Gunn create the study group to review other states’ lotteries. Gunn, a leader at his Baptist church, opposes a lottery.
The state’s Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review researched how much money neighboring states collected after prizes and expenses during the 2016 budget year ending June 30. Results showed Tennessee collected $394 million, Louisiana $177.9 million and Arkansas $85.2 million. Bennett, chairman of the House Gaming Committee, said study group members will travel to Louisiana and Arkansas to meet with lottery officials there.
Several casino industry lobbyists attended the recent lottery study group meeting. In the past they have opposed establishing a state lottery. Mississippi has 28 state-regulated casinos along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River.
William Perkins, editor of the weekly newspaper for the Mississippi Baptist Convention, said the state’s largest religious group opposes a lottery because “it corrupts the soul.”
