ANTI-LOTTERY GROUP'S ADS TRY TO LINK GAMBLING, DRUGS

Calling state-run gambling an "education lottery" is a cheap attempt to
mislead voters into swallowing a candy-coated mistake, lottery opponents
said Thursday.

At a press conference to unveil their new television ad campaign, the
founder of No Lottery 2000 said calling it an education lottery "doesn't
make it right and doesn't make it good for South Carolina."

Kathy Bigham said her organization has spent $50,000 to air two ads around
the state for five days beginning Sunday.

One of the ads, titled "Pretty Name," shows a man writing messages on a
blackboard, and attempts to connect the lottery to drug dealing and
prostitution ("We could sure get some scholarship money from that," the
narrator says).

"A pretty name can't hide the ugly reality," the narrator says. "The
lottery. It's for losers."

The other ad is called "Worst Thing," and has the same theme with a
different message: "Would we put up with government encouraging people to
smoke . to drink? Of course not, and we don't have to put up with
government pushing gambling, either."

In Columbia, the ads will run on stations WIS and WLTX.

The ads are "part of an education campaign we've been waging all summer
long," Bigham said. "South Carolinians increasingly turn against this
lottery once they see the implications of their own state becoming the
people's bookie."

The ads were produced for free by Fisher Communications of Columbia. Owner
Kevin Fisher, who appeared at Thursday's press conference at the First
Presbyterian Church in Columbia, said he is donating his services to the
anti-lottery campaign, just as he did in the fight against video poker.

Fisher said several more ads have been produced. When those ads will run
depends on finances. "We know we're going to be outspent significantly,"
Fisher said. "We have to be not only good, but smarter, and we're trying to
be both, and make our placement dollars go as far as they can."

Bigham said the campaign's treasurer is on vacation, and she isn't sure how
much money it has.

Campaign finance information in July showed the group had raised $168,156.
The next filing isn't due until Sept. 30.

The pro-lottery side, led by Gov. Jim Hodges' South Carolina Education
Lottery Coalition, has about $500,000 on hand, Kevin Geddings said.

Geddings, who is leading the lottery fight for Hodges, attended his foes'
press conference Thursday. He was quick to respond.

"It's interesting you would call South Carolinians or Georgia residents
losers (for supporting the lottery)," he said. "Clearly the winners are the
families of Georgia, the half-million kids who have received the Georgia
HOPE scholarships."

As for Bigham's claims that the state with its $6 billion annual budget can
afford to fund scholarships without a lottery, Geddings called that naive.
"That's just not true," he said. "There was blood on the floor (of the
Legislature) this year over $10 million for additional First Steps money."

Geddings said his campaign will begin in earnest after Labor Day, and will
probably start with about $200,000 for billboard advertisements.

A referendum to change the state's constitution to allow a lottery will be
held Nov. 7.