Former Anchorage mayor is pushing for an Alaska state lottery

Jan 24, 2016, 8:40 am (26 comments)

Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska — Former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan is in Juneau, Alaska, this week hoping to hit the jackpot: He's trying to convince lawmakers to authorize a state lottery.

Sullivan, who finished his second three-year term as mayor last year, said in an interview that a lottery could take a small bite out of the state's $3.8 billion budget deficit. And he's talked with more than a dozen lawmakers this week about approving legislation to set up a state lottery corporation, which would allow Alaska to participate in multistate games like Powerball.

"Bless the lotteries — they're the only voluntary form of taxation, so it's not government forcibly extracting from your wallet," he said, noting that he was quoting the writings of Thomas Jefferson. "If you want to play, you do, and if you don't, you don't. Does it solve the budget crisis? Nope. Does it help? Yes."

Sullivan is acting as the volunteer director of the Alaska Lottery Coalition — a group that he said claims other members, though he wouldn't identify any of them.

Alaska is one of six states that doesn't participate in Powerball, which this month saw its jackpot hit $1.5 billion. There's no state lottery in Alaska now, though gambling games like bingo, pull-tabs and the Nenana Ice Classic are allowed. Bingo and pull-tabs operate under charitable gaming licenses.

In 2014, gaming operators reported about $340 million in gross receipts to the state, which collected $2.5 million in taxes. A paper produced by Gov. Bill Walker's administration last year said the state could potentially produce $15 million in revenue by creating a lottery.

The last proposal to do so was in 2003, from a Republican senator who wanted to use the proceeds for education, but his legislation never made it to the floor for a vote.

Sullivan said he was involved in an effort to create a lottery 28 years ago that passed the state House and made it through Senate committees before being held off the floor by leadership — "or we would have had a state lottery," he said.

One of the lawmakers who met with Sullivan this week, Rep. Lynn Gattis, R-Wasilla, said she has a fundamental problem with gambling.

"People work hard for their money, and I don't want to see it frittered away," she said in an interview. "It seems like folks that can least afford it participate."

On the other hand, she added: "Who am I to be telling someone they can't?"

Gattis said she would consider legislation authorizing a state lottery, and Sullivan, she added, would likely "get many of us to think about it in a different way." Before she'd approve it, though, she said: "I'd have to look at the data."

Sullivan maintained that lotteries target a different, more affluent market than pull-tabs.

Lotteries, he said, "base their income on a lot of people playing a little."

"It's disposable income," he said.

Currently, Sullivan said, there's no money being spent on his effort, and he hasn't registered as a lobbyist.

"It's just a labor of love," he said.

Backers of a lottery may also consider pushing for a citizens initiative if lawmakers don't get behind their idea, he said.

Beyond his lottery campaign, Sullivan said he's been getting to the gym every day. But he said he has no plans to seek public office anytime soon.

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Alaska Dispatch

Comments

rcbbuckeye's avatarrcbbuckeye

Exactly what I was thinking Rep Gattis.

Who are you or anyone else in government to tell anyone how to spend their money?

Bleudog101

Really tempted to throw Sara Palin into this, but will be nice.  Don't think this would fly due to the scarcity of the residents--too spread out IMHO.

sully16's avatarsully16

I hope Alaska gets their Lottery.

MaximumMillions

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on Jan 24, 2016

Really tempted to throw Sara Palin into this, but will be nice.  Don't think this would fly due to the scarcity of the residents--too spread out IMHO.

They could just join Washington.

Years ago before Luxemburg hat their own lottery they had a contract with the German lottery and sold tickets for that. A lotto revenue split between AK and WA shouldn't be too complicated, given it's all traceable.

crazyjaney

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on Jan 24, 2016

Really tempted to throw Sara Palin into this, but will be nice.  Don't think this would fly due to the scarcity of the residents--too spread out IMHO.

Lol!  I was gonna quip that no one lives in Alaska except Sarah Palin.

destinycreation

I wish Hawaii would start a state lottery, other than PB/MM, then I would seriously consider relocating to Hawaii, b/c I prefer to live in a "paradise" state that has a lottery.

travelintrucker's avatartravelintrucker

Move to Puerto Rico.

Groppo's avatarGroppo

Quote: Originally posted by sully16 on Jan 24, 2016

I hope Alaska gets their Lottery.

Yes, I do too.

Why they didn't have one already is unthinkable.

Of course, many people here know how I feel about adding people to our lottery, but hey Alaska is now part of the USA, since we bought from Russia, for . . . . I forget what it was. . . . $5000?

Groppo's avatarGroppo

Quote: Originally posted by Groppo on Jan 24, 2016

Yes, I do too.

Why they didn't have one already is unthinkable.

Of course, many people here know how I feel about adding people to our lottery, but hey Alaska is now part of the USA, since we bought from Russia, for . . . . I forget what it was. . . . $5000?

.
To the people of Alaska:

I hope you get your lotto, once the politics are sorted out.
Why you haven't had it already just seems ridiculous.

I mean, what are you expected do all day, sitting in your igloos?
(just kidding, I know you have houses like other folks)

You don't want to know where I live.  I live where we got about
2 feet of snow!

I'll be stuck here for a while. About a week, by my estimates.
2 weeks by the county's estimates.

MaximumMillions

Quote: Originally posted by Groppo on Jan 24, 2016

Yes, I do too.

Why they didn't have one already is unthinkable.

Of course, many people here know how I feel about adding people to our lottery, but hey Alaska is now part of the USA, since we bought from Russia, for . . . . I forget what it was. . . . $5000?

7.2M$

myturn's avatarmyturn

Alaskans can play a state lottery, just not an Alaskan state lottery. The Massachusetts lottery has a subscription service, which is available across the US, by phone. You don’t have to reside in Massachusetts to participate. 

myturn's avatarmyturn

Perhaps, one could say, "the penny has finally dropped"!

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by myturn on Jan 24, 2016

Alaskans can play a state lottery, just not an Alaskan state lottery. The Massachusetts lottery has a subscription service, which is available across the US, by phone. You don’t have to reside in Massachusetts to participate. 

Yes they do, but I'll reiterate it for the umteenth time.  You can only order on the phone MegaBucks Doubler. I bought my MM and L4L subscription while on vacation back home.  Brother finally got my Powerball ticket.  If you get them while they are on sale, you get SEVEN weeks free which is a great bonus.  Powerplay and Megaplier are naturally not available since it changes all the time.

larry3100's avatarlarry3100

Who is the government of Alaska to tell the residents of Alaska how to spend their money. Anyone could spend their money on cigarettes,alcohol or whatever, and Alaska's doesn't have a law against that. On or before that January 13th, Powerball drawing of that $1.5 billion,many people who were residing in Alaska, went across the border of Alaska to purchase Powerball lottery tickets. The government of Alaska were the big losers on that day.

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