St. Paul, Minn. (AP) Minnesota's lottery chief is attempting to head off another showdown over tickets sold on the internet, through automated cash-machines and at gas station pumps.
Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Petten has been meeting with lawmakers and providing them with statistics tailored to their districts to demonstrate the importance of the lottery. He's arguing that the lottery needs to keep evolving to remain vibrant and keep pumping hundreds of millions of dollars steered annually into the state treasury and environmental programs.
Last session, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to scrap virtual lottery games, but Governor Mark Dayton vetoed it. Key lawmakers say they will try again in 2015.
Critics argue the lottery has gone too far and made gambling too accessible. Van Petten says dire consequences haven't materialized.