The Dallas branch of the NAACP and the Texas Republican Party recently joined the call to end the Texas Lottery.
“It appears that our strategy of joining civil rights organizations with social conservatives is gaining some traction. We are cautiously optimistic,” said Rodger Weems, chairman of Texans Against Gambling/Stop Predatory Gambling in Texas.
Before voting to urge the lottery’s abolition, members of the Dallas NAACP noted the Texas Lottery failed to keep its promises to fund public education, and they also pointed out a disproportionate number of lottery ticket purchasers live in low-income minority neighborhoods.
The Texas Republican Party platform includes a plank about legalized gambling in general and the lottery in particular. It states: “We oppose the expansion of legalized gambling and encourage the repeal of the Texas State Lottery. We oppose dedicating any government revenue from gambling to create or expand any government program.”
At public hearings of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission in April, representatives from the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and Texans Against Gambling/Stop Predatory Gambling in Texas urged the abolition of the Texas Lottery Commission, citing a two-decade record of failure to delivery on promises.
The Texas Legislature will vote next year whether to reauthorize the Lottery Commission.
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