Search

Lawyer thinks Calif. participation in Mega Millions is illegalNews Story
According to one legislative lawyer, California's much-heralded entrance into the 11-state Mega Millions lottery may be illegal, even as outlets around the state prepare for the debut of the popular game.Lottery Director Chon Gutierrez was told by legal advisers when California joined Mega Millions that the move to revitalize the state's languishing lottery was legal because it advanced the education-benefiting cause of the voter-approved Lottery Act of 1984.Around the state, locations for buyin
Jun 15, 2005, 11:33 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery jackpot mess has critics enragedNews Story
Editor's Note: The following opinion article is not necessarily the opinion of Lottery Post, but is presented to illustrate how the latest Texas Lottery gaffe has fueled the fires of long-time critics of the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC). The article is written by Ken Rodriguez of the San Antonio Express-News.Ken Rodriguez: How Texas lottery advertised make-believe payoff for suckersThe sleight-of-hand Texas Lottery Commission has done it again. On Wednesday, the commission turned the Texas Lo
Jun 14, 2005, 11:30 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery has history of jackpot overestimationNews Story
The Texas Lotto jackpot has fallen short of the amount advertised on three occasions since November because of lower-than-anticipated ticket sales, a lottery spokesman said Monday.Sales are running almost 26 percent behind last year's pace, said spokesman Bobby Heith, blaming the problem on increased competition for the Texas gambler's money.Overall lottery sales, including tickets for scratch-off games, are up almost 11 percent over fiscal 2004, he added.A longtime lottery critic filed a false-
Jun 14, 2005, 10:54 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery considers changing jackpot calculationNews Story
Amid complaints of false advertising, Texas Lottery Commission officials will consider changing the way jackpots are paid.C. Thomas Clowe, the commission chairman, said the three-member panel will discuss this month whether to guarantee the advertised jackpot or continue basing the grand prize on a percentage of ticket sales.Clowe said Thursday that he is concerned that miscalculating the lotto jackpot could undermine confidence in the game. We want the public to have confidence in the lottery,
Jun 10, 2005, 12:30 pm - Lottery News

Texas Lottery Officials Halt Jackpot IncreaseNews Story
Texas Lottery officials won't boost the estimated top prize for Saturday's Lotto Texas drawing in the wake of accusations of inflated advertised jackpots.Lottery Post reported yesterday that the Texas Lottery has been accused of falsely inflating jackpots to drive ticket sales, leading to charges of false advertising.The Texas Lottery Commission says the estimated jackpot will remain at $8 million.A critic earlier sent a letter to Attorney General Greg Abbott accusing the commission of false adv
Jun 10, 2005, 12:53 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery accused of over-inflating jackpotsNews Story
The Attorney General's Office will examine allegations that the Texas Lottery Commission is inflating the advertised jackpots for its Lotto game because ticket sales are too sluggish to support the high payouts.Lottery officials rejected the allegations, but acknowledged that because of lagging ticket sales, for the first time in the game's history they would be unable to boost their jackpot estimate for Saturday's drawing if no one wins Wednesday night.Dawn Nettles, publisher of the online Lott
Jun 9, 2005, 11:48 am - Lottery News

New Hamshire budget closely linked to lottery luckNews Story
If someone won Wednesday night's Powerball jackpot, New Hampshire's tight state budget would be the big loser, according to the chairman of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission.A winner of the $129 million jackpot would cool off betting in the final six weeks of the state's budget year, which could prevent the state from meeting its $71 million profit target, said Chairman Richard Campbell. We aren't going to make it unless Powerball gets on a roll, Campbell told Gov. John Lynch and the Executi
May 20, 2005, 10:21 am - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery Ad Contract Under ScrutinyNews Story
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Wednesday she wants to know more about a $19 million advertising contract for the state lottery that was the subject of a critical audit earlier this month.Her questions center on the results of a report by Auditor General William Holland that shows R.J. Dale Advertising Public Relations had received $7.1 million to promote the state lottery, but could demonstrate only $2 million worth of work. We have reached out to the auditor general and we will b
May 18, 2005, 9:15 am - Lottery News

N.C. Senate considers social, legal expenses of starting lotteryNews Story
If North Carolina joins every other state on the East Coast and creates a lottery, the cost of policing it and offering help to problem gamblers could cost several million dollars a year, witnesses told a Senate committee on Wednesday.The state would likely use the lottery's own proceeds to pay for such programs, although that's not addressed in either the House-passed bill to create a lottery or the Senate's budget proposal, which included lottery provisions, approved last week.And Sen. Tony Ra
May 12, 2005, 11:54 am - Lottery News

Wisconsin Lottery lost $212,000 in Super Bowl drawingNews Story
The Wisconsin Lottery lost $212,000 after it pulled out of a special drawing offering tickets and travel to the 2004 Super Bowl.The drawing was organized by a group that included NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann, according to an audit released Wednesday.Wisconsin Lottery spokesman Andrew Bohage said the state has considered legal action to recoup the money it lost after the NFL objected to the drawing. But he said lottery officials have held back because they are unsure if a suit would succeed. We r
May 12, 2005, 11:09 am - Lottery News