Permitting dedicated lottery tickets for special interests

SB 498 creates four new dedicated lottery ticket games in West Virginia, each funding specific public services: fire departments, emergency medical services, schools, and roads. Revenue from the "Fire Department" game goes to the All County Fire Protection Fund, the "EMS" game funds the Emergency Medical Services Equipment and Training Fund, the "Schools" game supports the Innovation in Education Fund, and the "Roads" game contributes to the State Road Fund. All profits from these tickets must be deposited into these existing funds per current law, and ticket designs must clearly state which service the revenue supports. The bill requires the Lottery Commission to regularly update game designs to stay competitive with other lottery games.