JACKSON, Miss. — Amid the lottery fever sweeping the United States, Mississippi took a step closer to starting a state lottery.
The Governor unveiled the first members of the Mississippi lottery board.
Governor Phil Bryant says with revenue leaving the state by millions, the new lottery board is the first of many to keep Mississippians playing the lottery at home.
"We were losing $70 million dollars a year with Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee and Mississippians going across the border and buying lottery tickets," said Governor Phil Bryant.
Bryant is hoping with the new state lottery law revenue will stay in Mississippi.
"I told the legislature you can't stop people from buying lottery tickets you can only make them drive so 70 million dollars is not what we want to lose in a state like Mississippi."
He appointed a 5 member lottery board to hire an executive director to oversee the lottery corporation.
"We got some very good people that are on that board with tremendous character and honesty of qualities of managing businesses of being educators."
Those selected on the board are:
- Philip Chamblee the CEO of the Mississippi Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association,
- Kimberly Larosa the CEO of Renaissance Community Loan Fund,
- Girard Gibert the CEO of Venture Technologies and Chairman of the Board of Empower Mississippi,
- Dr. Cass Pennington is a retired educator and former superintendent of Indianola and West Tallahatchie school districts, and,
- Dr. Mike McGrevey the current deputy director of the M-D-A.
The Governor says he believes he addressed some of the concern from lawmakers about creating a diverse lottery board.
"Five people so you're looking at geographical location hoping the state could be represented in that manner," Bryant said. "But also being inclusive of the population in the state of Mississippi."
The board will not be paid, however they will determine the salary for the executive director.
Officials are hoping to see the lottery in place sometime next year beginning with scratch offs.
Powerball and Mega Millions will take a couple years before Mississippians are able to purchase those tickets.
"Powerball and Mega Millions will take a couple years before Mississippians are able to purchase those tickets."
Why does it take such a long time until MM and PB will be available?
It's either a typo, or Bryant is thinking of a State lottery & not beyond.... for now. I seriously doubt Mississipians give a crap about anything else at this time but: MM & PB. Keep doing what you doing Bryant, that $70mil will continue to flow out of State.You heard it here first.
Don't know the timeline, but remember when California didn't have Powerball? It took them sometime to get it going there.
Thank you Todd again for a feel good story, sure has been a boatload of them lately.
We welcome Mississippi and it's State Lottery Board to the World of Lotteries.
I would think that they are looking at this MegaMillions billion dollar jackpot and wishing they were in it to win it today.
Congratulations!
The Governor should give people the option to subscribe online. Winners should also have the right to remain anonymous. If can be very dangerous for Lottery winners to have their identities revealed to the public.
Mississippishould use the United Kingdom's National Lottery as a template for their State Lottery. The British Lottery have a great procedure in place, to provide winners with independent financial and legal advice.
Not only will having their own lottery keep all that lotto fever money in-state, but also attract that Alabama lotto fever money. Tuscaloosa has a population of about 100k and it's only about an hour drive from there to the Mississippi border. I think sharing a border with another no-lotto state made it easier for officials in both states to keep the lottery out (like Nevada and Utah currently). But I predict Alabama will soon follow suit now that they will be losing money along the entire border.