Organizers of Boston's bid for the '24 Games have “pledged an operating budget funded without taxpayer money, but a recent exchange between a representative of the Olympics committee and the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission may suggest otherwise,” according to Catherine Cloutier of the BOSTON GLOBE. The Massachusetts Lottery said that a consultant on the Boston bid “asked about partnering with the lottery earlier this month to raise money to pay for the Games.” Lottery Exec Dir Beth Bresnahan told bid organizers that “using lottery funds would require one of two actions.” Either the state legislature “would need to agree to divert lottery proceeds to the Olympics or Olympics executives would need to make a lottery ticket licensing agreement with a third party vendor.” Boston 2024 Exec VP Erin Murphy Rafferty after the exchange said that the group “was no longer pursuing lottery funding.” Cloutier noted, however, the conversation “indicates that the Boston 2024 committee is exploring alternative funding options -- and some economists would argue, public funding options -- to finance their bid, contrary to the group’s stated goals.” College of Holy Cross professor Victor Matheson said, “Most economists would say it’s a terrible way to fund a mega-event. Every dollar taken from the lottery to the Olympics is one that’s not going back to the Commonwealth” (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/23).
