Lawmaker sues to block expansion of lottery

Thursday, June 28, 2001 | 10:36 a.m.

DENVER -- Two months before Powerball tickets are set to go on sale in Colorado, a state senator has filed a lawsuit to block the multistate lottery.

Sen. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, claims Powerball violates the state constitution, which specifies that all lottery games must be supervised by the state.

"Colorado shouldn't be in the gambling business. That is my bottom line," said Lamborn, whose lawyers filed the case Wednesday in a Denver court. "I think there were some procedural irregularities when this was put on the ballot."

Powerball tickets are scheduled to go on sale the first weekend in September, but lottery officials say the start-up could be as early as mid-August since work to adapt the Colorado Lottery computers is moving quickly.

Lamborn is asking a judge for a temporary injunction to block Powerball until the lawsuit is resolved.

Voters narrowly approved a referendum last November authorizing Colorado to participate in a multistate lottery. Colorado officials decided on Powerball, a game offered in 20 other states and the District of Columbia with a $10 million minimum jackpot.

The Colorado Lottery has a minimum jackpot of $1.5 million.

Because state constitution requires state supervision of all lotteries, Lamborn thinks only passing a constitutional amendment would make Powerball legal in Colorado.

Colorado Lottery director Mark Zamarripa said the agency has worked to ensure that the multistate game would still be state-supervised.