Mississippi lottery to launch with Alabama clients

Mississippi Lottery will launch scratch-off ticket sales, and officials expect Alabama residents to boost them as there’s no lottery allowed there.

US.- Alabama remains one of five states without a lottery, and Mississippi is set to take advantage of it. The Mississippi Lottery will launch scratch-off ticket sales on December 1 and officials expect their neighbours to test their luck.

The lottery bill passed in September and expects to get West Alabama residents to leave their money in the state.

“Our director of advertising will determine which markets we have a presence in,” Mississippi Lottery Corporation spokeswoman Meg Annison said.

“It’s coming close to home, they [lottery players] won’t have to go as far,” Annison said. “In Mississippi, depending on which retailers qualify, they can go around the corner.”

Powerball and Mega Millions games will also arrive, with the expected date being Spring 2020.

Alabama lottery attempt

According to the House sponsor of the bill that would pave the way for a state lottery in Alabama, local voters won’t have the chance to decide if they want to legalise it or not at the polls in March 2020. Alabama is the only state in the US without a lottery besides Utah, Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska.

Representative Steve Clouse said that despite his efforts to gain votes on Tuesday night after the bill stalled, he couldn’t get enough on Wednesday to pass the bill. “The lottery is dead for this session,” said Clouse, chairman of the House General Fund budget committee. “Just can’t get an agreement to get to 63 votes,” he added, according to al.com.