ST. GEORGE — Those who have driven the 20 minutes from St. George to Beaver Dam Station or Eagles Landing whenever the Powerball or Mega Millions approaches $1 billion may not be adverse to the idea of the lottery being legal inside Utah’s borders.
People line up to purchase lottery tickets at the Eagles Landing store in Littlefield, Ariz., July 19, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
But Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Wednesday he’s not a fan of that idea, which will be considered in the state Legislature next year.
Cox was responding to a recent Fox 13 report that said Utah Rep. Kera Birkeland, Republican, plans to introduce legislation to legalize the lottery in Utah during the 2024 legislative session that begins next month.
Speaking at the PBS Utah “Governor’s Monthly News Conference” program, Cox said lotteries take advantage of people who may not realize the long odds of lottery spending being profitable.
“I think lotteries are taxes on people who are bad at math and do more harm than good,” he said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks to St. George News in the lobby of Desert Hills High School, St. George, Utah, April 4, 2023 | Photo from video by Chris Reed, St. George News
Others have cited a 2018 study by financial information publisher Bankrate that found those in the lowest income brackets spend an average of $412 on lottery tickets despite the 1 in 292,201,338 chance of winning Powerball and 1 in 302,575,350 odds of winning Mega Millions.
At the same time, the study found states that have legalized the lottery have seen an average of over $1 billion in revenue annually as a result.
Cox acknowledges that, ultimately, he wouldn’t have any veto power if the bill were to pass the Utah Legislature as it is a constitutional amendment. Its full passage would be determined by Utah voters.
“It’s a constitutional amendment, so it doesn’t matter what I think,” Cox said. “The only say I would have is as a voter like everyone else.”
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