Tuesday, December 26, 2006

It is hard to fault Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels for wanting to improve
funding for higher education. Whether privatizing the Hoosier Lottery is the
way to accomplish that, however, remains to be seen. It's a complicated
proposal. Daniels wants to franchise the lottery for a fixed term. The
contractor would be licensed and regulated, just like casinos and
racetracks, and would continue current payment levels to the state. In
addition, the state would seek an up-front payment and a percentage of the
operator's revenue above a certain amount. The current funding levels for
police, fire and teachers' pensions as well as motor vehicle excise tax
replacement and state and local capital projects would continue. Sixty
percent of the amount paid up front would be placed in a permanent
endowment, with the interest paying for scholarships that could be forgiven
if the student stays in Indiana for three years after graduation. Of course,
there are many other strings attached to the scholarships. The remaining 40
percent would be used to attract outstanding faculty to public colleges and
universities in the state. Attracting top talent takes money. The plan has
distinct benefits, including improving the state's lagging educational
attainment level, improving the quality of education and keeping the
brightest high school graduates in Indiana. However, there are many
questions that need to be asked. The state's funding for higher education
hasn't increased at the robust level it ideally should. But the universities
and colleges have rapidly increased tuition and fees, citing reasons like
the need to attract top talent.
With this boost from the privatization of the Hoosier Lottery, what
guarantees will be made by the universities' trustees to hold tuition
increases low and for how long? Without a guarantee, there's no way to know
college costs will be controlled to help students ineligible for the
scholarships. And what does this outsourcing proposal mean for controlling
the expansion of gambling in Indiana? While the lottery would still be
regulated by the state, a pause to reflect on the state's already high
reliance on gambling as a revenue source is worthwhile. To what extent would
additional products and perhaps marketing efforts be regulated?

What would be the effect on the casino industry? What would be the effect on
society?

Why would a private company be able to operate the Hoosier Lottery more
efficiently than the state? And if it cannot, and if a gambling expansion is
not in the offing, why would privatization make sense?

There are many other questions that need to be addressed. That cannot easily
happen if the lottery privatization is rushed through the General Assembly
at the same hectic pace as the Indiana Toll Road privatization.