Powerball renews interest in state lottery
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – State Rep. Robert Johnson says all the money Mississippi residents spent on Powerball tickets could have made a difference for public education if it had been spent in Mississippi instead of Louisiana. But Mississippi is one of six states that don’t run lotteries.
Johnson tells the Northeast Louisiana Daily Journal that it wasn’t just Natchez that saw the monetary exodus, but towns all along the Mississippi River.
Gulf Coast senators gave Powerball tickets to their colleagues to boost interest, and there’s talk of a concerted effort to try to pass legislation creating a lottery.
But it’s unlikely to get far.
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves says lotteries don’t offer the same benefits as casinos, which can provide hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars of investment.
