The Wyoming Senate will have an opportunity to debate implementing a lottery in Wyoming.
A committee approved the bill 3-2. It will allow the state to enter a multi-state lottery, such as Powerball.
Supporters say a number of Wyoming residents are spending money on lottery tickets in other states, and they want to keep that money here.
But opponents like Chesie Lee of the Wyoming Association of Churches say lotteries hurt the poor “who are more likely to buy lottery tickets then people in other income brackets,” Lee says.
“Studies have shown that people who make under $20,000 annually spend twice as much as people from other income brackets.”
Lee also questions whether the lottery would have much of a positive economic impact for the state.
The bill heads to the Senate floor for further debate.
