Maine lawmakers call for greater scrutiny of lottery

Lawmakers from both parties are calling for closer scrutiny of Maine’s $230-million-a-year state-run lottery, including determining if its advertising targets poor Mainers, who are the state’s most avid players. “All the legislators I’ve spoken to said if we were directing advertising toward poor communities in Maine, then there would be a big problem, and it’s something we would have to fix this session,” said Rep. Louis Luchini, D-Ellsworth, who chairs the legislative committee that oversees the lottery.