Both the revenue from each will be used to fund the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s needs for the state highway system. Vice chairman of the Mississippi Lottery Corporation Gerald Gibert said Wednesday that scratch-off tickets will be available for sale to the public by December 1. He predicted that other games such as multi-state ones will be available by the end of 2020. The state Lottery Corp Board, whose members have been appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant announced that the board had appointed a president. Thomas Shaheen was the executive director of North Carolina Education Lottery, which was established in 2006. He most recently served as chief policy officer and executive vice president for a lottery company. He was previously the president of the company which runs Powerball, a popular game in multiple states. He was also involved in lottery startups in Florida, Texas, and Georgia. A news release stated that Shaheen will receive a $225,000 base salary and be eligible for performance bonuses. Gibert stated that Shaheen’s experience in leading lotteries will be a benefit to Mississippi. The Mississippi Legislature approved a lottery that would generate $80 million to help the state’s transportation system. All revenue above $80 million will be used to support education. Although estimates vary on the amount of revenue that a lottery in Mississippi would generate, most experts believe it will be lower than $100 million annually, based on past events in neighboring states. The Legislature also allocated revenue from sports betting for the state’s transportation system during the special session. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could allow betting on sporting events last year, but Mississippi already had a law allowing casinos along the Mississippi River or on the Gulf of Mexico to offer sports betting. In August, a few casinos began offering sports betting. Now, most of the state’s 27 casinos offer it. According to the state Department of Revenue for the current fiscal year which began July 1, $25.4 million was earned by the state from sports betting. The fiscal year’s casino revenue increased $6.8million, or 6.3 percent. Since August, when $54,000 was collected in sports betting revenue, the state’s revenues from this type of betting have grown quickly. Mississippi is the only state that allows betting on sporting events in the Deep South. However, this could change. Online sports betting in Tennessee will become legal on July 1. Only casinos in Mississippi allow sports betting. Other states are also considering legislation to allow betting on sporting events.