RALEIGH, NC -- The fate of the North Carolina Education Lottery faces another legal challenge, even though tickets are set to go on sale March 30, reports the Associated Press.
On Monday, attorneys appeared in a Wake County court house to hear a lawsuit filed by “taxpayers, lawmaker and advocacy groups” questioning whether the state legislature acted according to the constitution last year when it approved the state lottery.
The news source writes that last week, state legal counsel argued the plaintiffs “waited too long” to file their lawsuit, which came nearly four months after Gov. Mike Easley (R) signed legislation establishing the state lottery into law.
Delaying the lottery, notes the AP, would cause the state to lose millions in ticket revenue (net lottery proceeds will fund state education initiatives) and leave 150 lottery employees “in limbo” while waiting for their jobs to start.
“Nothing has changed, we're still charging ahead and doing what we're hired to do,” lottery commission spokeswoman Pam Walker told the news source, adding they will continue working to launch the lottery as planned unless the courts rule otherwise.
The AP writes that if the state lottery law is struck down, the state legislature could return for a special session to approve the lottery law “under the procedure cited by the courts.”
For more information about the state lottery, retailers are encouraged to log on to the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) Web site.
The NCEL has also asked the North Carolina Association of Convenience Stores (NCACS) to notify its members of the following information to help retailers get ready for the official March 30 lottery kick-off date:
1. Don’t wait until March 30 to turn on the lottery terminals. All terminals should be turned on and remain powered up at all times
2. When retailers receive a shipment of ticket books, be sure to “confirm” receipt of the package of ticket books on lottery terminals by following the instructions on the packing slip
3. Do not activate a ticket book on the lottery terminal until that book is ready to be sold
4. NCEL suggests that retailers deposit lottery funds daily
5. NCEL suggests that retailers pay winning tickets in cash
6. Retailers are required to pay winning tickets with a value of up to $25 in cash
7. NCEL strongly encourages retailers to pay for winning tickets with a value of $25 or more in cash. However, retailers may pay for winning tickets valued at $25.01 to $599.99 with a business check or money order provided that the form of payment is disclosed to the customer ahead of time
8. NCEL is working to establish a formula for determining how many tickets will be sent to each store location in initial shipment quantities
9. The NCEL hotline number is (877) 735-9707
10. The temporary GTECH training hotline number is (800) 203-0498
Click here to visit the NCACS Web site.