Gaming chair to hold hearing on proposals for lottery

JACKSON — The chairman of the House Gaming Committee says he will hold an initial fact-finding committee hearing sometime within the next three or four weeks to look at proposals for a state lottery in Mississippi.

Rep. Richard Bennett, a Republican from Long Beach, tells the Clarion-Ledger many people have asked about a lottery and some legislators put in bills for it every year.

Forty-three states have lotteries, including all but one — Alabama — that border on Mississippi.

Supporters say a lottery would help shore the state budget — and could be earmarked for education — and keep Mississippians from spending lottery dollars in neighboring states.

Bennett says he has the Mississippi Gaming Commission and a casinos’ association gathering information for lawmakers.