Over the holiday weekend, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported the Arkansas Lottery Commission awarded the lottery director a 2% bonus ($2,832) in spite of declining revenue and lagging scholarship projections. Altogether, the Arkansas Lottery Commission distributed thousands of dollars in bonuses to various lottery employees.
There is a lot that could be said about this. Why is the Lottery Commission distributing “merit” bonuses at a time when the Lottery is failing to live up to its own budget projections?
Why was the Lottery able to find thousands of dollars for bonuses but not for scholarships? What, exactly, are the Arkansas Lottery’s priorities?
In light of this and other recent actions on the part of the Arkansas Lottery, it’s no wonder many are beginning to say it’s time for tighter oversight and accountability at the Arkansas Lottery Commission.
