In his March 20 opinion column, Attorney Mark Spix criticized legislators for their opposition to House Bill 259 ("Charities deserve a shot at sweepstakes," @issue). The opinion column, like the bill, is deceptive and as such typical of the many efforts of the gambling industry to gain a foothold in Georgia.

In every legislative session, the gambling industry trots its "Trojan horses" to the gates of our state. In most cases, even the sponsors of the bills are misled about the real purpose for the industry's bills. In the case of HB 259, the language that would authorize for-profit lotteries (in direct competition with the Georgia Lottery) was buried deep in the bill and only the most careful analysis revealed its malignancy. Nowhere in Spix's column does he reveal that well-concealed purpose.

Although HB 259 cleverly uses the term "sweepstakes" to cover its malign purpose, Georgians should know that promotional sweepstakes games for legitimate businesses are already legal here. No additional legislation is necessary, and none was requested by our good corporate citizens.

HB 259 would legalize free-standing casinos offering a Web-based lottery with multiple drawings daily. How many players of the Georgia Lottery would opt for a chance for hourly or more frequent drawings over the Georgia Lottery's nightly or weekly contests?

Why do we face the continual effort by the gambling industry to invade our state? Because Georgia prohibits commercial gambling and has no regulatory process and no reliable taxing mechanisms —- unlike the states of Mississippi, Nevada and New Jersey, where gambling is legal. In short, the gambling industry sees Georgia as an "open frontier" —- no rules, no laws, no taxes and no viable competition. And the HOPE scholarship, exclusively funded by the Georgia Lottery, faces the same fate as the passenger pigeon if we allow the gambling industry to invade our state under any disguise.

Those who treasure the HOPE scholarship and the fair play of the Georgia Lottery should be entirely grateful that representatives have been vigilant sentries against yet another Trojan horse.

> Ken Wynne, district attorney of the Alcovy Judicial Circuit (Newton and Walton counties), is president of the District Attorneys Association of Georgia.