Don't follow California's lead on lotto
In regards to the movement to create a Nevada lottery as a way to increase funding for education, I would like to add a word of caution.
Having moved to Nevada from California, I can attest for the need to be sure that the proposed law is worded in such a manner that would preclude politicians of either party from eliminating the current education funding and replacing it with a percentage of Lottery proceeds.
That is what happened in California. The lottery was promoted as being a way to supplement the existing education funds, but as it became clear how popular the lottery was and how it brought in more funds than anticipated, the elected officials decided that there was no longer a need to provide education funding and diverted that money for other pet projects.
Once the lottery lost its novelty, the level of educational funding that was derived diminished. This led to the need for numerous bond requests that the voters had to approve to increase funding for education.
Nevadans should be skeptical of going down this path without ensuring that the same cannot happen here by wording the proposed law in a manner that is clear, to ensure the percentage of lottery income is a supplement and not a replacement for educational funding.
David Knighton
Carson City
