Group says plan is gaming expansion
Friday, Jun 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
As I told you yesterday, ILCAAAP isn’t happy about the governor’s lottery scheme.
Church groups charged Thursday that the proposed lottery sale or lease could lead to a massive expansion of gambling.
To make money, a private company would have to create new games, such as keno, or allow Internet sales of lottery tickets, said Anita Bedell, executive director for Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems.
“This means an expansion of gambling. In the lottery the next steps are keno, video lottery and Internet lottery,†she said. “All three of these would make the sales very accessible and very quick. They would also lead to addiction.â€
Privatization will not be an expansion of gambling, said Becky Carroll, a spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.
“They would have to work and operate within the four walls of the lottery system that we have today,†Carroll said. “They would not be able to add in games like keno at will.â€
Until the governor’s office releases the Goldman Sachs report which details how they arrived at the $10 billion sales/lease figure, nobody is going to believe a word about either how much money the sale/lease will really bring in, or what companies will have to do to justify spending that much. I understand they have some good reasons for not releasing the report, but if they want to staunch this political hemorrhaging, they have to release it soon.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 3:05 am:
It’s not as if Anita Bedell is the only one saying this. As Kip Peterson, one of the state’s own lottery consultants acknowledged, the only way the state could possibly secure the $10 billion asking price is if it brought in keno and everything else under the sun.
There’s a history here too that can’t be ignored. The governor has already tried to introduce keno to Illinois once — claiming he didn’t need legislative approval to do it — and legislation to legalize the internet sale of lottery tickets has already been backed by John Wyma’s GTech before.
I think what Bedell fears most, and rightfully so, is the old bait-and-switch. First the Governor sells the public on the concept of selling the lottery, while John Wyma and Milan Petrovic’s clients display mild interest, and then like some late-night ginzu knife salesman, they put keno, instant lottery machines that look an awful lot like video poker, and instant internet lottery ticket sales on the table and ask: “Okay, now how much would you pay?”
- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 5:59 am:
…nobody is going to believe a word about either how much money the sale/lease will really bring in, or what companies will have to do to justify spending that much…
Since nothing happens according to ‘plan’ in state government anymore, why would releasing the GS report make us think we will have any clue as to what will really happen?
- Cassandra - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 8:04 am:
Actually, I suppose it’s possible that a private company could make more money from the lottery than it is currently generating by managing it and marketing it better. Adding keno and other forms of gambling aren’t the only way to make money off of it.
But why can’t the agency which is running the lottery now do these things do generate more
profits. Is this another example of incompetent state hacks who got their jobs through politics
and/or nepotism being unable to do the job (as at IDOT
- 'TGG" - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 9:24 am:
“They would have to work and operate within the four walls of the lottery system that we have today,†Carroll said. “They would not be able to add in games like keno at will.â€
It’s amazing who this administration’s reality changes from one moment to the next. Reality is whatever suits the moment, and happens to come out on top in the latest poll.
Anybody remember the administration’s position when Blago wanted to put keno in all the bars? Lo and behold, they said then the administration didn’t need the General Assembly’s approval because keno would fit neatly within the lottery’s existing mission and authority.
To use crazy Carroll’s latest buzz phrase, their position at the time was that keno would have fit neatly ‘within the four walls of the lottery.’
Uh oh, that position doesn’t suit their purpose when they’re trying to convince the public that their plan to lease the lottery won’t lead to a private gambling empire in Illinois. Uh oh, better say something other than what they said just a few months ago.
- Truthful James - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 9:54 am:
Why not simplify things. Sell it to the same guys that Carmine and Vito work for. They give better odds anyway.
Or perhaps a coalition of OTB people — the horse racing guys keep saying they need more money and they have the places to open table games.
- Just the Facts - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 12:43 pm:
The Attorney General issued an opinion that there is no authority for Keno under the current lottery law. She shot down the arguments of Blago’s lawyers that the have such authority.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 4:20 pm:
I think the Hate Crimes Commission is reviewing the whole thing right now, as soon as they figure out what to do with that Nation of Islam spokesperson Blagojevich appointed.
- anon - Saturday, Jun 3, 06 @ 11:34 pm:
Does Blago think he needs anyone’s ok including the general assembly to do what he wants? Not to do stem cell, birth control or as said expand the lottery. if it as he said the GA can’t get it done he will. If the GA isn’t going to require the governor to stick to what is his constitutionally limited powers then all off us will continue to be walked on.