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| Postato: 27 Mag 20 alle 09:56 | IP Salvato
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North Carolina AG opposes expanded online lottery sales
North Carolina¡¯s attorney general has come out against
expanding online sales by the state lottery, suggesting
such ¡°digital instants¡± could run afoul of state laws
prohibiting video sweepstakes machines.Get more news
about ²ÊƱ°üÍø·þÎñ,you
can vist loto98.com
Word about Democrat Josh Stein¡¯s opposition spread as
North Carolina State Lottery Commission members met
Tuesday to examine a draft business plan to offer such
games. Commission members took a key step toward digital
instants last month ¡ª without finalizing their
production ¡ª by asking for the plan.
North Carolina law says the lottery can approve any game
another state lottery already offers. Digital instants,
which are essentially the electronic equivalent of
scratch-off tickets offering cash prizes, already are in
five other states.
But Stein told commission Chairman Courtney Crowder in a
letter that the games may qualify as video games that
have been banned under a separate state law. ¡°The
commission lacks authority to offer lottery games that
qualify as video games,¡± Stein wrote Jan. 22, pointing
to legal citations.
Stein¡¯s argument aligns with those of online sales
critics, who say the digital instant themes and screens
look too much like the video sweepstakes games, which
legislators and law enforcement have tried for years to
root out of the state. Opponents point to the crime
associated with illegal sweepstakes parlors and anecdotes
of players, particularly in poor areas, emptying their
wallets to play.
¡°I am concerned that these types of games prey on
vulnerable people and risk real harm to both communities
and families across the state, ¡± Stein wrote in urging
the commission to oppose expansion. The association
representing the state¡¯s police chiefs is also opposed.
Legalizing digital instants for the lottery ¡°would make
it virtually impossible¡± to enforce the current
sweepstakes ban because players could click on lawful or
internet games, said Roxboro Police Chief David Hess,
president of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of
Police.
Lottery officials say the two types of games aren¡¯t the
same and the authorized online games would be under the
state¡¯s control and heavy regulation.
The business model presented Tuesday shows digital
instants could generate $80 million in net proceeds
annually within five years. The state lottery earned $708
million overall for the 12 months ending last June. Like
the current limited online ticket sales already allowed,
the ¡°digital instants¡± would require minimum-age
verification and set limits on money transfers to ticket-
purchase accounts.
Crowder told reporters Tuesday the lottery hadn¡¯t
received such guidance before from the attorney
general¡¯s office and said it was being reviewed. Crowder
said the commission is undergoing a ¡°methodical¡± and
¡°deliberate¡± process.
¡°I want to make sure that the North Carolina Education
Lottery gets it right,¡± said Crowder, appointed chairman
by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. ¡°It¡¯s really about
making sure that we are moving forward in a way that¡¯s
consistent with the values of the state (and) focused on
returning proceeds for public education in the state of
North Carolina.¡±
The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association opposes
the expansion, worried that online games could
cannibalize their sales. The lottery¡¯s business plan
produced letters from the Kentucky and New Hampshire
lotteries attempting to refute that argument. The
liberal-leaning North Carolina Justice Center and
conservative John Locke Foundation also are against
expansion.
Legislators aren¡¯t in agreement about online sales and
could pass laws changing what games are allowed.
Commission members are picked by the governor and
Republican legislative leaders. More than 30 House
Democrats put their names on a letter last month
promising to work to bar digital instant lottery games if
they were implemented.
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