State lottery is now step closer

Published 4:44 pm Thursday, August 8, 2019

Wire Report

Mississippi can take part in big multi-state lottery games starting early next year.

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The Mississippi Lottery Corporation said in a news release Friday that directors of the Multi-State Lottery Association have approved Mississippi for Powerball and Mega Millions. Sales for those games are expected to begin during the first three months of 2020.

Mississippi has been one of six states without a lottery, but lawmakers met in 2018 and authorized the creation of a Mississippi Lottery to help generate money for highways.

The Mississippi Lottery Corporation president, Tom Shaheen, has said sales for games that are only in Mississippi could begin Dec. 1.

Shaheen will join the board of directors of the Multi-State Lottery Association once the multistate games begin in Mississippi.