Georgia's lower House has passed a bill that, if it passes the state Senate and is signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue, would let state lottery players play on the Internet.
Sponsor Rep. Terry Barnard (R-Glenville) said the bill was meant to put a reviver shot into the state lottery and the HOPE scholarship program the lottery helps support, since state law requires 35 percent of lottery revenue to support education programs.
The only problem, according to the state lottery's communications director, J.B. Landroche, is that there's a lot of federal legislation that conflicts with state laws allowing online gaming, particularly the 1961 Wire Act that bars gambling by way of wire communications.
And current law mandates lottery players buying with cash to ensure they can afford to play the games.
Georgia state lottery revenues were reported to have fallen down to $1.3 billion—a $4.1 million drop—during the first half of the current fiscal year.
