In Florida, lawmakers passed HB 629 which awaits Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature. The measure would require warnings on the front of Florida Lottery tickets. Former Governor Rick Scott vetoed similar legislation in 2017.
In a letter to DeSantis, World Lottery Association President Rebecca Paul Hargrove said the group opposes HB 629. Hargrove said the labels threaten education revenues in Florida and set a bad precedent nationwide. “The instant scratch-off games have been around for over 45 years, and sales of these games continue to grow every year, but more importantly, the sales of these games continue to grow funding for good causes every year,” she said.
Anti-gambling expansion group No Casinos President John Sowinski assailed Hargrove’s statements. He said, “Rebecca Paul Hargrove’s letter is basically an admission that if Floridians are properly warned about the addictive nature of scratch-off games and other lottery products, that some will choose to not spend money on them which is the entire purpose of this good legislation.”
Under the legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Will Robinson and state Senator Rob Bradley, lottery tickets would carry the message, “WARNING: LOTTERY GAMES MAY BE ADDICTIVE” or simply “PLAY RESPONSIBLY.”
Sowinski said, “The World Lottery Association’s letter never disputes the addictive nature of these games. The lottery industry would rather pretend that there are no adverse consequences to their regressive and addictive enterprise. Clearly there are.” He added, “The fact is that gambling enterprises, including lotteries, rely on addicts who spend a high volume of money for a large portion of their profits. That they would object to a simple, truthful warning label is obnoxious.”
No Casinos was behind the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2018, giving voters exclusive rights to approve any future expansion of gambling in the state.
