State Lottery panel approves emergency rules

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Lottery Commission adopted emergency rules that will allow hundreds of vendors to begin selling instant tickets on October 12th.<br/><br/>Only four members of the 7-member

Thursday, October 6th 2005, 6:55 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Lottery Commission adopted emergency rules that will allow hundreds of vendors to begin selling instant tickets on October 12th.

Only four members of the 7-member lottery panel were present at the special meeting Wednesday and one of them voted against the emergency rules because they didn't bar pawnshops, payday loan offices and check-cashing establishments from selling lottery tickets.

Tulsa businessman George Charlton says customers often face financial problems that could be made worse if they gamble in the lottery.

Commissioner Chairman James Orbison says he's sympathetic to Charlton's views but wanted to make sure potential vendors had due process.

Orbison also said the state question that went through the Legislature before being approved by the public did not specifically rule out such vendors.

Lottery executive director James Scroggins says 1,166 vendors have been approved to sell tickets so far and about 600 were still going through he application process.