Lottery Agency Audit Important

A special audit of the Ohio Lottery Commission "didn't make much sense" when viewed as "a business proposition," commission Director Kathleen Burke has said. We disagree, but that is beside the point. It makes a lot of sense for Buckeye State residents to insist on the maximum amount of outside oversight of the Lottery Commission.

State Auditor Mary Taylor has ordered a performance audit of the lottery commission. Her decision came after Burke rejected her offer to conduct an examination of the agency's operations.

Taylor's position is that the commission's involvement in new types of gambling, including state-sponsored Keno games and, soon, casinos in four cities, makes it important to provide greater than usual oversight by the auditor's office. We agree.

But Burke has balked at that.

According to a published report, she questioned the auditor's office's expertise concerning gambling. She also claimed that the auditor's proposal would cost $500,000.

Also according to a published report, Taylor's office has estimated the audit would cost $118,000.

That is not exactly pocket change, of course. But, in view of the massive expansion in gambling that already has begun in Ohio, it is cheap insurance for taxpayers.

And while the auditor's office may not have the specialized expertise cited by Burke, it does have employees skilled in examining financial operations and asking probing questions. We suspect that, again, given the expansion of legaled gambling, Taylor will be looking for auditors with more experience in that area.

We believe Burke should accept Taylor's recommendation with open arms. If she does not, the auditor should proceed with her plan anyway.

Member Comments

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TruthSeeker
11-28-09 4:29 AM »Report Abuse	Mikey, Mikey, Mikey....like you really care about the taxpayers in Ohio. This is just another excuse to flail away at Democrats in power in Ohio.
walksabout
11-27-09 4:33 PM »Report Abuse	elected office should be changed to lottery drawing. don't ask don't tell. one term .

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