SB 2149 Summary

• Creates the Mississippi Lottery for Education Act, administered by the Mississippi Gaming Commission, with lottery tickets sold by authorized retailers in participating counties.

• Allocates lottery proceeds as follows: 45% for prize money, a reasonable percentage for commission administrative costs, 4% to participating counties, and remaining proceeds to the Mississippi's Hope Scholarship Trust Fund.

• Establishes the Mississippi's Hope Scholarship Trust Fund to provide tuition assistance to Mississippi students with a 3.0+ GPA attending eligible in-state institutions, with annual appropriations limited to the fund's investment earnings.

• Prohibits ticket sales to persons under age 18, and exempts lottery ticket sales from state sales tax.

• Amends existing gambling and lottery statutes to exclude state lottery operations from criminal penalties for unlicensed gambling and lottery activities; effective July 1, 2013.