In a finding that "reopens the emotional debate about
how to pay for" a proposed new ballpark in VA, state
legislators concluded yesterday that the state's lottery "is
not generating enough revenue to finance a major league
baseball stadium in Northern Virginia," according to Eric
Lipton of the WASHINGTON POST. In a plan endorsed by the
legislature in '96, the stadium would be financed by $14M a
year in new lottery proceeds, $9M a year from the team's
owners and $4M a year from income taxes on team players and
retail sales at the new complex. However, state officials
"told a legislative task force yesterday" that the lottery
is not generating enough new revenue to meet its $14M share.
The state "has been testing" the financing plan since April
by offering four sports-oriented scratch-off games. State
lottery Dir Penelope Kyle said that "although the four
instant games have sold well, it would be `very difficult'
to meet" the $14M target. She did not have an estimate on
"how far short" the state was of its goal. As a result of
the lottery "problems," a Legislative task force asked the
VA Baseball Authority yesterday "to look for other ways to
raise" funds for the ballpark (WASHINGTON POST, 11/18).
