LITTLE ROCK—Persuading voters this fall to approve a lottery to fund scholarships won’t be the hardest part of Bill Halter’s job. Steering the details of the lottery through the Legislature will be.

The lieutenant governor’s campaign for a state-run lottery began in earnest last week when his proposed constitutional amendment was certified for November’s ballot. Winning over votes for a lottery in a Bible Belt state won’t be a simple task, but it’ll seem easy compared to the hurdles he’ll face among lawmakers if it’s approved.

Legislators will be the ones to hash out the details of the lottery and the scholarships it’ll fund. Voters may get a word on whether to start a lottery, but the Legislature will have the final say on how to start it.

A dizzying list of questions awaits them: What kinds of tickets will be sold and when? Who will oversee ticket sales? Can tickets be bought online? Will Arkansas join other states that now offer video lottery terminals akin to slot machines?

And those questions don’t even begin to address the $100 million in scholarships Halter contends will be funded annually with the proceeds.

Opponents of the lottery has used the free hand lawmakers will have over its setup as an argument against approving Halter’s ballot proposal this fall.

But it’s not a blank check that will necessarily pay off for Halter or lottery supporters.

Just as easily as they could expand the lottery and its scope, lawmakers could limit the lieutenant governor’s signature proposal so much that its benefits would be virtually nonexistent. It’s a chance that legislators who view Halter as an upstart may be willing to bet on.