States are recently making their positions known about the visbility or accessibility of lotteries in their areas as they examine or pass legislation on hot-button issues that affect lottery owners, users, and critics alike.
New Brunswick recently made the headlines when its court dismissed a $1.75 billion lawsuit filed against the provincial government by video lottery owner, William West, who charged that the state's removal of his machines from establishments that did not have the necessary license which led to a massive loss of revenue. West contended that he was merely asking from the state the opportunity cost dealt by him with their removal of 93 of his machines from 1999 to 2002. Implicit in the ruling of Justice Jean-Paul Oullette was the support of New Brunswick's Video Lottery Terminal program that curbed cases of illegal gambling by spotting unregulated or unlicensed machines in various establishments.
Oullette also ruled that West's claim of $1.75 billion was difficult to substantiate, especially in light of findings of a lottery hired by the Atlantic Lottery Corp. which concluded that the lottery owner's awards claim could not be supported by sufficient data. Atlantic Lottery Corp. was also named a co-defendent along with the provincial government.
Meanwhile, legislators in Charleston are equally cautious in increasing the number of licensed lottery machines in well-designated areas. According to the News and Sentinel, they are not keen to pass the proposal of the West Virginia Amusement and Limited Lottery Association to increase the number of machines in licensed locations from 10 to 12. Although the Association claims that this move can bring about an additional $22 million for the state, the Charleston lawmakers were quoted in saying that they did not believe in the "expansion of gambling."
South Dakota lawmakers have taken the same methodical approach when it comes to a proposal made by the South Dakota Lottery Association, asking for an increase of video lottery machines to be placed in licensed areas. The Association requests that the current limit of 10 be raised up to 15. KOTA Territory News says that South Dakota's legislators are mulling the proposal..
