In 2005, then Lieutenant Governor, Beverly Perdue, cast the deciding vote in the Senate that allowed the State to enter the lottery business. This was the capstone of a 23-year effort by the gambling industry to obtain a lottery in our state. After the lottery began operation, the General Assembly banned video poker and later banned so-called “sweepstakes” gambling. Two lawsuits are pending on the legality of the “sweepstakes” ban, but most of the ban has already been upheld. The Cherokee Tribe in western North Carolina was allowed to continue the operation of their video poker casino because the tribe was protected by a compact that was already approved.