Lotteries in the United States

[3] In the early post-independence era, legislators commonly authorized lotteries to fund schools, roads, bridges, and other public works.

[4] Evangelical reformers in the 1830s began denouncing lotteries on moral grounds and petitioned legislatures and constitutional conventions to ban them.

[5] Recurring lottery scandals and a general backlash against legislative corruption following the Panic of 1837 also contributed to anti-lottery sentiments.

The wave of anti-lottery protests finally broke through when, by 1860, all states had prohibited lotteries except Delaware, Missouri, and Kentucky.

[3] It was discovered that the promoters of the Louisiana Lottery Company had accrued immense sums of money from illegitimate sources and that the legislature was riddled with bribery.

In 1988, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) was formed with Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia as its charter members; it is best known for Powerball, which was designed to create large jackpots.

[11] Given that instructions are passed down from state legislatures, lottery implementation is often expected to be carried out with reduced advertising and funding while still producing the same amount of revenue.

[12] Nevada's gambling industry has lobbied against a state lottery there, fearing the competition;[13] similarly, the Mississippi Gaming Commission expressed concern that a state lottery would constitute a "competing force" for gambling dollars spent at Mississippi casinos.

Governor Phil Bryant expressed his support for the lottery to fund transportation in the state and has indicated he will sign the bill.

[14] Alaska and Hawaii, being outside the contiguous United States, have not felt the pressure of losing sales to competitors.

[15] In recent years, new applications such as Lotto.com, Lottery.com, and Jackpocket were created for people to purchase state lottery tickets over their smartphones.