Opponents of the lottery lost the vote, yet they say they will continue the fight.
After a much-heated fight, Tennesseans voted Tuesday in favor of a state lottery. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, 58 percent (893,646) of voters supported the lottery and 42 percent (658,543) voted against it.
State Sen. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) has been a proponent of the lottery for 18 years. Cohen said that the major benefits from the lottery would be in education.
“The state lottery is the best hope and only hope for education in the state for at least the next six years and maybe the next decade,” Cohen said at an information session for the lottery in October.
Dr. Stephen Shapard, Senior Pastor of Mullins United Methodist Church, said anit-lottery forces will continue to encourage people to invest money wisely and continue to press that the lottery is a poor investment because of the low return for higher education.
“There are better ways to fund education than a lottery,” Shapard said.
Despite resistance, the next step is for the state legislature to create a lottery system.
In 1835, the Tennessee Constitution was amended to ban lotteries. The amendment that was approved by voters is based on the HOPE scholarship program enacted by Georgia, which constitutionally allots lottery funds to fund in-state scholarships.
The money is intended to create scholarships for students attending any higher education institution in Tennessee, public or private, including technical schools, pre-K programs and before and after school programs.
Not all of the revenue from the lottery goes to education. A portion of the money goes toward the company that runs the lottery as profit, some to advertising and a portion toward fighting gambling addiction.
Cohen traveled the state speaking in support of the lottery and the benefits that it would bring for the state.
Memphis Memphis City Councilman is a proponent of the lottery and said he believes that it will greatly benefit the state in the areas of education
“I support Steve Cohen’s efforts,” said Lowery who last month sponsored a council resolution endorsing the lottery. “I will make sure the legislature moves as quickly as possible to make this come about.”
Lowery says he sees no reason why the state should not have the lottery in place some time next year.
Lowery said he believes the lottery will provide both short and long term benefits for the state of Tennessee.
“Any additional revenue is better than no revenue at all,” Lowery said.
There was still some strong opposition from religous communities across the state.
The Gambling Free Tennessee Alliance waged a strong grassroots campaign from the pulpit . The alliance brought together churches and ministers raised more than a million dollars for ads and other anti-lottery campaigns.
Churches and other groups stood against the lottery by posting signs, handing out flyers and holding information sessions.
Joe M. Rodgers, chairman of the Gambling Free Tennessee Alliance, issued a statement on the assiciation’s Web site speaking against the lottery.
“Not only are the promises of lottery gambling more smoke than substance, but there are significant costs to the children and families of Tennessee,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers also stated that the lottery is a threat to the state’s integrity.
Shapard and the Methodist church community spoke out against the lottery before the election, and Shapard said that he will continue to speak out even now that the state has given its support.
Shapard said his church gives money to higher education by funding loans and scholarships through the campus ministry and 100 percent of the money given to scholarships by them goes to scholarships.
Shapard said only a low percentage from the lottery goes to education.
“It’s the difference between 100 percent and 33 percent,” Shapard said.
Shapard said that anit-lottery forces are also afraid that the government will drop scholarships that already exist because that has happened in other states with a lottery.
