RALEIGH — A key House leader says a bill he's drawing up about the North Carolina state lottery won't include a provision prohibiting ticket sales to people receiving public assistance or who are in bankruptcy.

Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Stam of Apex said Wednesday the provision was the least important part of his proposal. He said got questions from all sides on the lottery issue about the provision. Some critics questioned singling out the poor or how retailers would enforce the law.

Stam said the bill will still seek to remove the word "education" from the North Carolina Education Lottery because proceeds account for a small percentage of state education funding. He also wants the lottery to reveal more fully the long odds of a winning a big prize.