BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Idaho lawmakers fearing foreign participation in the Powerball lottery eliminated legislation on Wednesday that would have allowed the game with huge jackpots to continue in the state after more than 30 years.
The change came after Idaho Lottery officials sought a change in state law because Powerball is expanding to include Australia in 2021 and Britain in 2022. But current Idaho law only allows state lotteries played by people in the US and Canada.
Idaho was one of the first states to join Powerball in the 1990s. Since then, the lottery has grown to include 45 states, two US territories and Washington, DC The Multi-State Lottery Association manages the game.
The Idaho legislature is dominated by Republicans, but objections to the change have also emerged from Democrats. The elimination of the bill by a 10-4 vote by the State Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives means that the last draw of the state’s Powerball will be in August.
Republican MP Heather Scott feared that when Australia joins Powerball, the country’s authorities will use the revenue generated for government coffers to support causes it opposes.
Scott expressed concern about what could happen “in Australia’s anti-gun causes, which they see as good and we see as not good”.
Democratic Congressman Chris Mathias said that Powerball in Idaho has been good for business and that the state has taken millions into public education, but fears that more countries could be added to the Powerball roster.
“My concern is the delegation of authority and, essentially, handing over our sovereignty to this Multi-state Lottery Association,” he said. “I think we should be concerned if they can be persuaded, they can be heavily pressured by countries that we are not particularly friendly with.”
Mathias wanted the bill to be amended to reflect these concerns and voted with another Democratic representative and two Republicans against eliminating the legislation.
Idaho lottery officials said the game generates about $ 28 million in annual sales in the state, with schools receiving about $ 14 million.
The money generated from the sale of Powerball tickets is kept in confidence until there is a winner. The addition of two new countries and more players is expected to increase the size of the jackpot.
“This is a big jackpot game, so players like to have big jackpots,” said Jeff Anderson, director of the Idaho Lottery, to lawmakers. “One of the ways to do that is to have more players in the game.”
Idaho’s biggest Powerball winner was a resident of the small town of Star in the southwest, who won $ 220 million in 2005.
Some Idaho lawmakers said they feared that the chances of an Idaho resident winning would diminish with more players.
But the odds remain the same, no matter how many players participate, because the odds are not based on the number of players, but on the chances of specific numbers being selected. If there are multiple winners, the jackpots will be split.
Anderson tried to convince lawmakers to make the change in state law, assuring them that a country like China – with a legal system different from that of the United States, Australia and Britain – would never be allowed to join.
Republican MP Bruce Skaug said he was concerned about the $ 3 million a year spent on advertising to convince people to play Powerball. He proposed the motion that killed the legislation.
“What we have is 32 years of Idahoans being able to voluntarily participate in a lottery game of their choice,” said Anderson after the vote. “For thirty-two years everything is fine, now it’s not. It is very worrying. “
Anderson said Powerball will end in Idaho on August 23 because of the vote.
He warned that in addition to the money that Idaho schools will lose, the state will face “incalculable amounts of expenses to cancel all advertising commitments we have with billboards and point-of-sale materials and everything. This is going to be very expensive for the people of Idaho. “
Multi-State Lottery Association officials declined to comment on the Idaho Powerball decision.
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This story has been corrected to show that the legislation was killed with a 10-4 vote, not a voice vote.