All this talk of lottery scholarships has obscured the most interesting  issue. The real winners. Who’ll make the big bucks off the new game? The top employees. The software and hardware vendors. And, better still, who’ll land the multi-million-dollar ad contract?

The subject is on my mind because of a two-day-old news release that floated across my computer today thanks to the wonders of Google.

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It says that LR ad man Brian Clark is opening a Little Rock office for the Ramey Agency, which has offices in Jackson, Memphis and New York. The news release, on the jump, concludes:

Recently, Clark Communications and The Ramey Agency worked together in supporting the Arkansas Lottery campaign. Brian took a lead role in strategic marketing and planning, while The Ramey Agency assisted with media planning and buying for the statewide campaign.

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Politics being what they are, having worked for Lt. Gov. Bill Halter’s lottery campaign won’t necessarily translate to an advantage with a lottery to be run by appointees of top legislators and the governor. Still. Politics also being what they are, it doesn’t hurt to have other friends.

This news release doesn’t mention it, but this article notes that the Ramey Agency was purchased in 2001 by an investment combine including the Stephens Group of Little Rock. Heard of them? They and their hotel are on the Ramey client list, which also includes the Viking Range company, another Stephens investment.

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You connect the dots. Who knows? Those dots might even lead to a new building for the lottery on Main Street. I hear Warren Stephens has some real estate. And why not? Put in a TV studio, have a live Saturday night drawing and you might get some folks downtown again.

Let’s dream: Newspaper business being what it is, we’re thinking of opening the Power Bar in the old Das Yutes building across Main. We’ll sell brew and tickets, hunting and fishing licenses, bait, ball caps.

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