In a statement on Thursday, Family Council President, Jerry Cox, raised concerns about the forthcoming lottery ticket vending machines and how they would lead to underage gambling.
“The truth is, children are going to illegally purchase lottery tickets if Arkansas welcomes vending machines,” Cox said. “The Arkansas Lottery Commission continues to talk about safeguards, like having to swipe a driver’s license, but this will not be enough to effectively prevent children from buying tickets. All they would have to do is borrow a driver’s license from an 18-year-old friend or take one out of their parent’s wallet.”
Cox said: “I find it ironic that lottery ticket vending machines are illegal in Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue’s home state of South Carolina, and yet he’s telling us we must have vending machines here. The Arkansas Lottery Commission has failed to make any clear case as to why these machines are necessary in Arkansas.”
“The Arkansas Lottery Commission is behaving irresponsibly,” Cox said. “They seem to have more concern about raking in more lottery dollars than they do about the welfare of children.”
Cox said he plans to ask lawmakers to introduce legislation next year banning all lottery vending machines in Arkansas.
For a PDF of the official news release, click here.
