For months, the city of Fairbanks’ finance committee has considered various concepts for a municipal lottery to help grow the city’s budget.

By November there were three options, including two raffles. But the lottery was the house favorite, based on minimal logistics, time, and the greatest return on revenue.

The concept was one of several brainstormed by the finance committee over the past year after David Pruhs, the former mayor, gave the group marching orders to find ways to increase the city’s revenue by 10% over three years.

Margarita Bell, the city’s chief finance officer, said a different committee member developed each of the three choices.

Alaska law allows municipalities to set up lotteries or raffles, as nonprofits and charitable organizations do.

Like all lotteries and ra

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