CHEYENNE - Wyoming voters got their say at a gambling initiative 11 years ago, and they gave it a big thumbs down.

Yet, voters' rejection in 1994 of a local-option gaming initiative is no reason to think that they wouldn't react favorably to a statewide lottery today, according to state Rep. Bill Thompson, D-Green River.

"Most people that I hear from across the state from e-mail, most people are in favor of it," Thompson said.

He said there are a couple of reasons a lottery referendum today could pass while the 1994 gaming issue failed. For one thing, the previous vote took place in another time, in a different political climate.

"That was 12 years ago," Thompson said. "I'm talking about the present and the future."

Another reason, he said, is that a statewide lottery is just one specific form of gambling that many people are familiar with, while the 1994 initiative would have opened the doors to each county to authorize various forms of gambling.

"It's a different issue," he said.

Whether a lottery referendum would pass today is a topic of much disagreement among legislators, with many citing "public support" as the reason for their positions on the issue, whether they are for or against a lottery.

Lottery supporter Richard Hunnicut of Casper said he is not sure where the state's populace stands on the matter, which is one reason he favors a public vote on the issue.

"I really do not know, but I would like to know," he said. "I'd like to know what the people want here in this state. I think the people really should be given a chance. That's the purest form of democracy. Let the people decide."

As he talked about it, Hunnicut started to suspect that the issue could pass in Wyoming.

"I just have a feeling that it would pass, myself, but that's my own opinion," he said. "I'd like to think it would pass."

Capital bureau reporter Bill Luckett can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or at bill.luckett@casperstartribune.net.