The Mississippi House reversed course Tuesday afternoon and passed a lottery bill, clearing the way for a long-debated form of gambling to come to the state.
The vote was 58-54 after the House had defeated the same bill 60-54 Monday night with some Democrats and some Republicans opposed. Three Democrats and five Republicans flipped their votes to help the bill pass. The Senate had already approved it. It will not allow video lotteries, which are akin to slot machines.
A five-member board will oversee the Mississippi Lottery Corp., which will be subject to open records and meetings laws, an issue that had been debated.
All but five other states — Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah — already have lotteries.
Profits — estimated to be about $80 million annually — will go to roads and bridges for the first decade.
Gov. Phil Bryant had criticized House Democrats Monday night on Twitter for voting against the bill, not mentioning House Republicans who voted “nay.”
Bryant tweeted again Tuesday after the vote praising the decision.
“This is a historic day in Mississippi. Lawmakers rose to the occasion and passed the last part of a sustainable infrastructure funding mechanism that will also provide additional money for public education,” the governor wrote.
All of the Marion County delegation — State Reps. Ken Morgan and Bill Pigott and State Sen. Angela Hill — voted for the lottery.
