Sen. David Johnson, co-chair of the lottery oversight committee, tells Stephens Media that closer scrutiny is in store for the haphazard operation overseen by some overpaid Gamecocks who should be presented with tickets home sooner rather than later. It is no longer enough to justify every shortcoming — of which there are many — with Ernie P.’s standard retort: “What, you don’t like to see kids get college scholarships?” No, what I don’t like are high-flying overpaid boodlers living larger without a care in the world for state personnel rules, sound accounting and accountability.

There is much to watch in a lottery operation. See Texas, where coziness between the main vendor, Gtech, and the lottery have given rise to charges of conflict of interest and questions about whether the lottery is getting the best value for its operational dollar.

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