The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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June 10, 2009

State lottery comes up short in funding education

The dollars never did roll in the way lottery proponents thought they would when Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved the lottery.

And now, with Arkansas voters approving their own lottery and more people declining to buy lottery tickets because of concerns about the recession, the Oklahoma Lottery is expected to generate $2.5 million less in education revenue next year.

The projected budget includes about $66.7 million going toward public education and about $101 million to prizes.

There is so much competition for the discretionary dollar these days, the original estimates about how much the lottery would bring in if passed always were unrealistic. We pointed that out several times, even though we endorsed the lottery.

The lottery funds to public education certainly are helpful. But, they aren’t a cure-all for education funding, and they shouldn’t be viewed as being a substitute for general funding for education.

The Legislature should always treat the lottery money for education as “extra.” It should be designated to districts for short-term or non-recurring expenses.

Overall, the lottery has been mostly positive for the state. Until Oklahoma passed the lottery, a lot of dollars from this state were going to surrounding states that had lotteries. Arkansas voters figured the same thing out, and that’s why they approved a lottery.

The lottery will continue to be positive for the state, and as economic times improve, revenues will improve also. As more states get into the lottery, the Legislature may eventually have to address the issue of percentage going to winnings to keep the Oklahoma lottery competitive.

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