Congressman abandons national lottery proposal

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that a Tennessee lawmaker has dropped a proposal to create a national lottery in the United States after discussions with top Democrats in Washington. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) says he has rethought his position after conversations with party leaders convinced him that the plan would probably hurt local constituents more than it would help.

"If we had a national lottery, it would just take money from the Tennessee Lottery and that would take money away from scholarships and away from pre-kindergarten and away from education in Tennessee,” Cohen said.