NACS Hits Jackpot
WASHINGTON -- In an important victory for convenience store retailers, the House Judiciary Committee voted 18-9 to remove provisions from a gambling-reform bill that would have allowed online lottery sales, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).
The amendment, developed by Reps. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and Mark Green (R-Wis.), received strong bipartisan support among committee members, in large part due to the grassroots efforts of NACS retail members and affiliated state associations, said Allison Shulman, NACS director, government affairs.
"The personal contact made by NACS members and state associations with their lawmakers proved to be the key to victory on this issue," Shulman said. "This would not have been possible without the outstanding efforts of our members to educate Congress on the importance of this issue."
As written, the Combating Illegal Gambling Reform and Modernization Act would have allowed individuals to purchase lottery tickets from any computer terminal. NACS pointed out to lawmakers that convenience stores count on the customer traffic generated by state lottery game and that allowing online sales would likely lead to ticket sales to minors and credit card fraud.
The amendment, developed by Reps. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and Mark Green (R-Wis.), received strong bipartisan support among committee members, in large part due to the grassroots efforts of NACS retail members and affiliated state associations, said Allison Shulman, NACS director, government affairs.
"The personal contact made by NACS members and state associations with their lawmakers proved to be the key to victory on this issue," Shulman said. "This would not have been possible without the outstanding efforts of our members to educate Congress on the importance of this issue."
As written, the Combating Illegal Gambling Reform and Modernization Act would have allowed individuals to purchase lottery tickets from any computer terminal. NACS pointed out to lawmakers that convenience stores count on the customer traffic generated by state lottery game and that allowing online sales would likely lead to ticket sales to minors and credit card fraud.