House Speaker Robbie Wills must think a lot of people read the Arkansas Blog. I’m flattered by the attention. So let me clarify for him what I’ve been saying.
When the lottery amendment was on the ballot, I argued at great length with Lt. Gov. Bill Halter that one of the reasons I planned to vote against it (and did) was that I knew it would open the door to much more than scratchoff tickets and weekly lottery drawings. Halter said he was sure the legislature would not let that happen.
The legislature did precisely as I feared once voters ended the constitutional prohibition on lottery gambling insofar as a state lottery was concerned. Under terms of a little repealing clause, the legislature exempted the state lottery from a number of gambling prohibitions. The lottery, through this change, can offer roulette. It can offer sports wagering. It can offer poker games. And lots, lots more.