Committee rejects bill to clamp down on Virginia lottery ads

Larry O'Dell

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2000 | 10:14 a.m.

RICHMOND, Va. - Lady Luck won't be muzzled for at least another year.

A House of Delegates Committee voted 11-7 Sunday to carry over to next year a bill to tighten restrictions on Virginia Lottery ads, including the humorous TV spots featuring the mascot of the state-run games of chance.

State law prohibits lottery advertising for the primary purpose of inducing people to play. Del. Harry Parrish, R-Manassas, introduced legislation to eliminate the word "primary."

Less clever advertising would reduce lottery ticket sales and cost the state about $38 million a year, according to an analysis by the Virginia Department of Taxation. Last year, the lottery turned over $321.8 million to the state treasury, all of which went to public schools.

Del. Allen W. Dudley, R-Franklin County, suggested that the Finance Committee table the bill until the 2001 General Assembly. He said he was concerned that merchants who sell the tickets would lose money, as would newspapers and radio and television stations than run lottery ads.

Del. Robert Hull, D-Fairfax, was skeptical about the tax department's projections.

"These are scare tactics," Hull said. "That's a bunch of baloney to say you can't advertise with the language of this bill."

The advertising restriction that's been on the books since the lottery's inception in 1988 is intended to limit the ads to informational purposes, such as telling people how much it costs to play and the odds of winning. Parrish has said he believes the ads have crossed the line and are now inducing people to play.

Virginia Lottery officials insist that's not the case. Proposed ads at one time were reviewed by the attorney general's office to make sure they were in compliance with the law. Those reviews are now done in house.

Critics of the lottery said Parrish's bill doesn't go far enough.

"It seems to me we're just nibbling around the edges," said Del. C. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County. He suggested Virginians should be asked in a general election referendum whether they want to keep the lottery.

Anti-gambling lobbyist Bill Kincaid said an independent study should be commissioned to determine whether the lottery really does the state any good.

Jack Knapp, a lobbyist for the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists, argued that the lottery is structured to appeal to poor people, who can least afford to lose money. "You don't have many lottery terminals in gated communities," he said.