RELEASE
Speaker Gunn Forms a Lottery Study Commission
JACKSON –During the 2017 Regular Legislative Session, discussions regarding a lottery escalated. At the end of the Session, Speaker Philip Gunn indicated a willingness to form a committee to study the true ramifications of implementing a lottery in Mississippi.
“I have been clear that I do not support a lottery,” said Speaker Gunn. “I have not changed my mind. I do not believe a lottery is based on sound economic policy, and it violates a number of conservative, Republican principles.
“The purpose of the study group is to gather information to show that the lottery is not the windfall that all its supporters claim it will be,” he continued. “I have not had anyone who has voiced support for the lottery provide me with any documentation showing why or how it is a good thing. At the very least, I hope the findings from this group will provide us with information upon which we can make an informed, reasoned decision.”
Today, the Speaker held an organizational meeting with members and charged them with examining a series of questions in the following categories as they relate to a lottery: background issues, operational issues, social issues and economic issues. Future meetings will be announced.
Members include: House Gaming Chair Rep. Richard Bennett; Rep. Nick Bain; Rep. Chris Johnson; Rep. Mac Huddleston; Rep. Cedric Burnett; MS Gaming Commissioner Allen Godfrey; Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs; PEER Director James Barber and on an as-needed basis Special Assistant to the Attorney General and Counsel to the Mississippi Gaming Commission Lou Frascogna.
5/3/17
Magnolia Tribune
