Some lawmakers are uneasy about the reliance on gambling revenue to fund state programs. Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, was worried a veterans ticket would take money away from education proceeds, and also questioned whether it was a good idea for the Legislature to give the lottery more money for advertising last year.

“If it’s true that the more you spend the more you get, all along the curve,” he said, “then it probably makes sense to spend as much as you can.”

But if that isn’t happening, Schaaf said, “you’re just taking money from education and putting it into advertising.”

Gonder said the extra money, most going to TV ads, will help boost sales. Missouri’s lottery has done well despite spending less on advertising and having fewer employees than other states, he said.

“I think there’s a certain level of deception about encouraging people (to gamble) that I’m uncomfortable with, even if it produces revenue,” said outgoing state Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia.

Kelly said his vote in the 1980s to create a lottery was one of the worst he had ever cast, but he acknowledged Missouri’s reliance on the lottery isn’t going away anytime soon.

“We have to continue with it for all practical purposes,” he said. “And we should see what we can do without encouraging inappropriate gambling or being deceptive.”

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