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Georgia Fights Efforts to Outlaw Online Gambling

Legislation would amount to a loss of $39 million in funds for the state's lottery-funded programs.

Even as Gov. Nathan Deal was courting casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s support, his administration has been engaged in a quiet lobbying campaign against federal legislation supported by the billionaire that would restrict online gambling.

 

Adelson is behind a nationwide campaign against Internet gaming, and he’s a supporter of legislation introduced by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that would do just that. Three states – Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada – have allowed some forms of online gaming. But it riled up Georgia officials for a different reason.

The Georgia Lottery Corporation began to sell tickets online in November 2012, making it one of the nation’s first lotteries to expand sales to the Internet. The lottery put together a fact sheet it sent to supporters warning that the lottery would be required to shut down its online sales channel and cancel current lottery options should the legislation succeed.

So far, the online ticket sales have generated more than $6.6 million, sending nearly $2 million to the HOPE scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs. But lottery officials say the legislation would have an even broader impact, also banning the organization from paying prizes electronically or conducting second chance drawings through the Internet.

Debbie Dlugolenski Alford, the lottery’s head, said in an April letter to a top U.S. House attorney that the proposal would effectively end an online distribution channel that “continues to be critical to our success and our ability to grow revenues for education.”

 

Daniel Luzer is GOVERNING's news editor.
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