JOESAM2002

'Sports lottery' under consideration at Louisiana Legislature

09:25 PM CST on Sunday, December 5, 2004


Associated Press



BATON ROUGE, La. — As the state negotiates with the New Orleans Saints over a new stadium lease and support package, it's trying to figure out how to finance renovations to the Superdome that will sell at the Legislature.

One idea that has worked elsewhere is a sports lottery, and it was among the financing options mentioned in a study released last week by the Superdome Commission.

Maryland used its lottery to help finance the construction of new stadiums for baseball's Baltimore Orioles and the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens.

A sports lottery would be a strictly voluntary form of taxation, but it also raises the politically sticky question of whether it would sap money from existing lottery games that finance public schools.

Maryland State Lottery Director Barry Roogow says many residents in that state, particularly outside the Baltimore area, were initially cool to the idea of diverting lottery proceeds to the Maryland Stadium Authority when the decision was made in 1987.

Since the sports stadiums were built, lottery proceeds have helped finance other public facilities while taking a relatively small chunk from other priorities. Last year, lotteries in Maryland generated $458 million, of which $21 million went to the stadium authority and the rest to the state's general fund.