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Maryland Lottery to replace classic Lotto gameNews Story
A million bucks doesn't buy dreams like it used to.The first Maryland lottery game to offer $1 million prizes seems likely to become extinct, a victim of players who opt to gamble instead on mega-jackpots.Introduced in November 1983 to help bail out financially strapped localities such as Prince George's County and Baltimore, Maryland Lotto once the lottery's flagship game is showing its age, according to state officials.In the past fiscal year, Maryland Lotto sales dropped 5 percent while e
Aug 4, 2005, 7:42 pm - Lottery News

N.D. lottery revenues exceed expectationsNews Story
North Dakota's three lottery games have raised $7.2 million for the state treasury since Powerball sold its first ticket in March 2004, the state's lottery director said.North Dakotans bought $24.9 million worth of tickets in 15 months.Although lottery demand was greater than state officials expected, sustaining the pace will be much more challenging, said Chuck Keller, director of the North Dakota Lottery. I realize that our honeymoon period is over, and that sales for the lottery are going t
Aug 2, 2005, 8:06 am - Lottery News

Powerball sales skid hurts lottery profitsNews Story
Major changes in the game in August should lure players who want bigger jackpots.Powerball players got lucky during the past 12 months, winning lots of smaller multistate jackpots but dampening overall enthusiasm by reducing the number of huge payoffs in the $200 million to $300 million range. The players are just beating the game, Iowa Lottery President Edward Stanek said Monday. We had 11 Powerball jackpot winners the year before, and we have had more than a 50 percent increase for the fisca
Jul 26, 2005, 6:42 pm - Lottery News

Indiana lottery sales decline has officials probing illegal gamesNews Story
The Hoosier Lottery, faced with slumping profits, is struggling to get more people to play ticket games in a world of electronic gambling.In the budget year just ended, lottery officials expect to see about a 5 percent decline in profits, which reached $199 million last year, according to W. Edward Benton, the lottery's chief financial officer.So what's eating into ticket sales? Smaller Powerball jackpots, for one thing, something Hoosier Lottery officials can't control.The approximately 22,00
Jul 11, 2005, 12:06 pm - Lottery News

Clever lottery players all win on handshake agreementNews Story
He hasn't even gotten the check yet, but Yousef Sharif already has given up three-quarters of his $2 million Michigan Lottery winnings.And he's still smiling.The Swartz Creek resident, a skilled trades worker at Delphi Flint East and owner of Happy Boy Market in Flint Township, won the top prize in a June 29 drawing at the International Freedom Festival in Detroit.In a classic case of a bird in the hand, four of the five finalists competing in the drawing decided to hedge their bets by agreein
Jul 8, 2005, 10:54 am - Lottery News

Powerball lottery creator patents new gamesNews Story
The co-creator of the Powerball lottery game has patented an international jackpot game and a new lotto game that could some day be played in the United States.Edward Stanek is president of the Iowa Lottery and one of two men who came up with the Powerball game, which is now played in 27 states.The Powerball game has generated about $17 billion in sales for lotteries nationwide over the past 14 years, but Edward Stanek has never cashed a dime in royalty checks.Stanek chuckles when anybody asks h
Jul 6, 2005, 7:36 am - Lottery News

Middle Georgians have mixed feelings about California joining lotteryNews Story
The chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot at the beginning of this week were low, but now the chances are even lower.California became the 12th state to join the Mega Millions lottery Wednesday, bringing with it a population of 36 million to tonight's Mega Millions drawing.But even as California has joined the pool, that hasn't stopped Sharon Norton from playing. She said she keeps playing, hoping to hit it big and retire early. I think it's fine, said Norton, 39, an X-ray technician. T
Jun 24, 2005, 9:39 am - Lottery News

Scientific Games Hires Former GTECH PresidentNews Story
In a move designed to broaden the company s management team to take advantage of future growth opportunities, Scientific Games appointed Michael Chambrello president and chief operating officer.Chambrello, who has served in a variety of key roles across nearly 20 years in the lottery industry, previously served as President of GTECH Corporation and Executive Vice President of GTECH Holdings Corporation. He will assume his new position at Scientific Games on July 1, 2005. We are all extraordinari
Jun 21, 2005, 9:09 am - Lottery News

Texas lottery board charges bingo machine supplier fixed pricesNews Story
A bingo machine supplier has been charged with fixing prices and selling its products directly to charities, according to state records and public filings.The Texas Lottery Commission will hear evidence Friday against Game Tech International, the largest supplier of electronic bingo machines in Texas.The allegations concern the behavior of a former employee and are untrue, said Andrejs K. Bunkse, general counsel for Game Tech. We will actively defend ourselves and believe there will be no findin
Jun 21, 2005, 8:09 am - Lottery News

A lottery for those bored by mini millionsNews Story
Come Friday, California residents will no longer have to endure wimpy, yawn-producing California SuperLotto Plus jackpots that start at $7 million.State residents soon will be able to plunk down a dollar for a shot at the kind of winnings that could put them into the San Diego housing market.The state has joined the multistate lottery game Mega Millions. Tickets go on sale Wednesday for the first drawing, which is Friday.And look out.Mega Millions produced the nation's largest jackpot $363 mil
Jun 20, 2005, 2:51 pm - Lottery News