Sep. 23, 2009 (Arkansas Times) --

Lottery sales begin Sunday night at a Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) station at Cantrell and Chenal (it wouldn't do to have the first sale pass through a pay drawer from an attendant behind bullet-proof glass at a ghetto convenience store).

Ernie P. told a Pine Bluff civic group what it's all about -- entertainment and scholarships.

"This game should be played with only one perspective," he said. "By adults, who are looking to be entertained, with discretionary dollars. If you don't meet that profile, as much as I want to generate revenue for young Arkansans, I don't want your money. We're serious about this."

"The lottery in Arkansas is designed for one purpose and one purpose only," Passailaigue said. "That is to allow young Arkansans to get scholarship aid."

He said, referring to South Carolina lottery survey results, the typical lottery customer is not someone spending food money on lottery tickets. Passailaigue headed the South Carolina lottery before moving to Arkansas.

"The majority of the people who played were middle income or above. The majority of the people were high school graduates or above. There are two telling statistics that I think you need to ponder: The majority of people, over 75 percent of the people, played less frequently than weekly."

When they played, he said, they spent $1-$5.

I hope Arkansas does some quality research on playing habits.