Minnesota lawmakers remain at loggerheads with lottery chief

Lawmakers in Minnesota have renewed their attempts to stop state lottery director Ed Van Petten’s so far successful online product offerings, which they claim should have been referred to them for approval before launch (see previous  reports).

Van Petten, backed by governor Mark Dayton, says he has acted within his mandate.  Last year a similar move by miffed legislators to suspend the new products was vetoed by the governor.

Van Petten has reiterated that he’s open to a compromise that requires future expansions to win legislative backing first.

But he says suspending online sales of drawing tickets and instant-win games would threaten the lottery’s viability and ultimately mean less money for the state and environmental programs.

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