Wyoming Governor Matt Mead has signed a lottery bill into law.
The Governor’s approval means that Wyoming can either form its own state lottery or enter into a multi-state lottery on July first.
A C-E-O and a nine member board will oversee the lottery. Mead said last week that he was weighing the pros and cons of the lottery, but ultimately decided to sign the bill to keep Wyoming residents from driving to other states to purchase lottery tickets. Mead says he wants to keep those dollars in Wyoming.
Many people wrote Mead and asked him to veto the bill, expressing concerns about the possible negative social impacts that the lottery could have on the state. Mead said that “This is a form of gambling and I commit to keeping a close eye on any social impacts of the lottery when it gets up and running to see if there are ways to address those.”
The first six million dollars raised from the lottery will go to local governments, while any additional revenue will go into a permanent school fund.