Yet another game is being added to the bloated slate of games offered by the Arkansas Lottery. Called the “Natural State Jackpot,” the new draw game begins on August 27. Read more about it from the Associated Press here.
Our take: With an average jackpot of $158,000 for this new game, the odds of winning it will be very low. This is just another way for Arkansans to lose their money.
Donald Brown of North Little Rock has been hired by the Arkansas Lottery Commission as the lottery’s new internal auditor. Brown replaces Michael Hyde, who resigned in May. Click here to read more from Arkansas News Bureau.
According to a story by Mike Wickline in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Lottery Commission “won’t ask the 2013 Legislature to grant it police powers or allow the use of debit cards to buy lottery tickets.” This comes after lottery officials could not find enough support from state legislators or Governor Beebe for the proposals. When these issues first came up, we provided some commentary on them, which you can read here, here, and here. We have opposed the lottery receiving police powers or accepting ticket purchases via debit cards. This news is a very welcome development. There is other lottery news, however, that shows that Arkansas’ lottery still suffers from some entrenched bad habits and misplaced priorities.