Idaho ended its Powerball lottery Wednesday after a proposal to allow other countries to participate.
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee rejected legislation that would have changed current Idaho law that only allows lotteries in its state to be interpreted by those in the U.S. and Canada, Associated Press reported.
Powerball is expanding and allowing gamblers in Britain and Australia to play, making the sale of Powerball lottery tickets illegal under Idaho law. The legislation was meant to break the law so the state could continue to sell Powerball lottery tickets.
The legislation was rejected 10-10, with Republicans and Democrats suspicious of allowing other countries to enter the area.
Idaho Lottery officials argue that this could hurt state revenue and affect the amount of money the school system in Idaho would receive from the lottery.
Powerball lottery tickets give the state $ 28 million in sales and $ 14 million earned from those sales goes to schools.
“My concern is delegating authority and basically handing over our sovereignty to this multi-state lottery association,” Democratic Rep. Chris Mathias said. “I think we should be concerned that they could convince them, that they could put pressure on countries with which we are not particularly kind.”
Jeff Anderson, director of the Idaho Lottery, tried to tell lawmakers before the vote that countries like China will never join the Powerball lottery, according to the Associated Press.
“What we have is that for 32 years Idahoans can voluntarily participate in a lottery game of their choice,” Anderson said after the legislation was passed. “Thirty-two years have been good, not now. It’s very worrying. “
The last Powerball draw will take place in August.