Indiana lottery to outsource some operations

Jul 11, 2012, 10:24 am (15 comments)

Indiana Lottery

The Indiana State Lottery Commission is asking companies to bid on taking over some of its operations.

The commission Tuesday issued a solicitation for companies to bid by Aug. 31 on taking over the sales, distribution and marketing of the lottery, a state agency whose income has shrunk in recent years. It expects to sign a 10-year contract by Nov. 1.

Lottery spokesman Al Larsen said the Lottery Commission will retain certain duties, including overall oversight of the lottery, rulemaking and conducting drawings. Vendors are being asked to find ways to make the lottery more profitable by possibly changing its retail network, improving marketing, and other ways. He said the commission has no plans to for substantial changes in its current operations.

Democratic leaders have been critical of many of the privatization activities of the Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration.

The lottery commission endorsed a plan in May to seek out private companies to take over some operations of the lottery. At the time, Larsen said the effort's goal wasn't to privatize the lottery, but to see if companies have ideas for improving some of its operations — functions they could potentially take over if the state likes their ideas and eventually awards them contracts.

Larsen said the primary goal is to boost the lottery's net income, which dropped from $218 million in fiscal year 2006 to $188 million during fiscal year 2011 — a 14 percent decline.

AP

Comments

vjohnson8's avatarvjohnson8

IND lottey is a ripp off,, it doesnt give back it takes  and has a f for a grade bad bad  bad

mcginnin56

How about giving more back in winnings to the players who make everything possible. What?  This continuous greed mentality will only come back to

take a big bite out of their behinds.

 

Never bite the hand that feeds you!!! Hope you lottery executives in Indiana are reading this.   Group Hug

 

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

It's rarely a bad thing when government gets the hell out of the way and let's private industry do it's thing.

Saylorgirl's avatarSaylorgirl

Our Governer Mitch Daniels has done an excellent job of privitizing many operations of the state government.  He outsourced our toll road a couple of years and it has worked out extremely well.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by Saylorgirl on Jul 12, 2012

Our Governer Mitch Daniels has done an excellent job of privitizing many operations of the state government.  He outsourced our toll road a couple of years and it has worked out extremely well.

He's a good man, Saylorgirl.

I wish Tennessee had Mitch Daniels.

He'd go good with our Charlie Daniels and Jack Daniels.

JezzVim

Let's think about this in a business sense.

WHY would any business do a service for the government if they didn't get good or great return in profits?

And WHY wouldn't the Lottery Commission would give away profits to a private concern?

They are thinking about doing the same in Pennsylvania and I think it stinks!!   With the corruption of big business in the news each and every day why would any Government turn over a program that would be so easy to have some greedy b**tards rob the citizens of their state? 

We can't trust bankers and they were the cream of the crop of businessmen we once trusted.   Now we are scared of even putting our money in the banks and savings and loans.

In the news this week, a CEO spent one day on the job and quit, he received 65 million dollars.  WHO'S pockets did he rob from?  EVERYONE!   Everyone that uses the services or buys the products that the company operates.   The money has to come from someplace, and it not from thin air.

We are going to have to be more careful who we put in public office.

JPJohnson

In Texas the NTTA turned over management of toll roads to CINTRA, a corporation based in Spain. Take a moment to google what the citizens of Texas think of the NTTA now. Thinking in absolutes and blindly adhering to ideology leads to this kind of nonsense. There are people that would argue it's better to let a foreign corporation profit off Americans than let Americans draw a pay check. Ever since our idiot governor Rick Perry started this privatization push, now we're paying all these excess fees to some corporation can profit off us. CINTRA charges a $25 "administration" fee for a $0.40 unpaid toll. Their system fails to register you toll tag even though it registers other tolls on the same day. It's usually an 30 mintues to an hour to explain logic to an agent to get the charges reversed. But sure, corporations have our best interests at heart.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by JezzVim on Jul 13, 2012

Let's think about this in a business sense.

WHY would any business do a service for the government if they didn't get good or great return in profits?

And WHY wouldn't the Lottery Commission would give away profits to a private concern?

They are thinking about doing the same in Pennsylvania and I think it stinks!!   With the corruption of big business in the news each and every day why would any Government turn over a program that would be so easy to have some greedy b**tards rob the citizens of their state? 

We can't trust bankers and they were the cream of the crop of businessmen we once trusted.   Now we are scared of even putting our money in the banks and savings and loans.

In the news this week, a CEO spent one day on the job and quit, he received 65 million dollars.  WHO'S pockets did he rob from?  EVERYONE!   Everyone that uses the services or buys the products that the company operates.   The money has to come from someplace, and it not from thin air.

We are going to have to be more careful who we put in public office.

Give free enterprise a chance.

You'll like it a lot better when private industry takes over.

The biggest crooks are in government.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by JPJohnson on Jul 13, 2012

In Texas the NTTA turned over management of toll roads to CINTRA, a corporation based in Spain. Take a moment to google what the citizens of Texas think of the NTTA now. Thinking in absolutes and blindly adhering to ideology leads to this kind of nonsense. There are people that would argue it's better to let a foreign corporation profit off Americans than let Americans draw a pay check. Ever since our idiot governor Rick Perry started this privatization push, now we're paying all these excess fees to some corporation can profit off us. CINTRA charges a $25 "administration" fee for a $0.40 unpaid toll. Their system fails to register you toll tag even though it registers other tolls on the same day. It's usually an 30 mintues to an hour to explain logic to an agent to get the charges reversed. But sure, corporations have our best interests at heart.

Governor Perry has your best interests at heart. Trust him and everything will be fine.

It wouldn't hurt to send him a few bucks to help him retire his campaign debt either.

We all have to work together in this world if we want to improve things. Be a uniter, not a divider. 

But most of all, don't be a hater.

Have a nice day!

Dollar419's avatarDollar419

Quote: Originally posted by vjohnson8 on Jul 11, 2012

IND lottey is a ripp off,, it doesnt give back it takes  and has a f for a grade bad bad  bad

I seriously thought CA Lottery deserved a grade of "F"; I guess they are a D-Disapprove

Dollar419's avatarDollar419

Quote: Originally posted by mcginnin56 on Jul 11, 2012

How about giving more back in winnings to the players who make everything possible. What?  This continuous greed mentality will only come back to

take a big bite out of their behinds.

 

Never bite the hand that feeds you!!! Hope you lottery executives in Indiana are reading this.   Group Hug

 

I totally agree with you on this one--Perhaps I can send this to CA Lottery as a hint--general more winners and you will generate more profits!!Wink

mcginnin56

Quote: Originally posted by Dollar419 on Jul 13, 2012

I totally agree with you on this one--Perhaps I can send this to CA Lottery as a hint--general more winners and you will generate more profits!!Wink

Be very careful if you do Dollar419, they just might bite you in the process!

 

Longarm

Quote: Originally posted by JPJohnson on Jul 13, 2012

In Texas the NTTA turned over management of toll roads to CINTRA, a corporation based in Spain. Take a moment to google what the citizens of Texas think of the NTTA now. Thinking in absolutes and blindly adhering to ideology leads to this kind of nonsense. There are people that would argue it's better to let a foreign corporation profit off Americans than let Americans draw a pay check. Ever since our idiot governor Rick Perry started this privatization push, now we're paying all these excess fees to some corporation can profit off us. CINTRA charges a $25 "administration" fee for a $0.40 unpaid toll. Their system fails to register you toll tag even though it registers other tolls on the same day. It's usually an 30 mintues to an hour to explain logic to an agent to get the charges reversed. But sure, corporations have our best interests at heart.

There's some misunderstanding about toll roads in Texas.  The North Texas Tollway Authority, which is a public government agency, operates all current toll roads in the DFW area.  They're the ones imposing these outrageous late fees, which turn small unpaid tolls into hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Private businesses are building express toll lanes, in which the toll rate will be increased as needed to prevent excessive congestion.  In these projects, the businesses are also paying to rebuild the parallel free lanes, and in some cases add free lanes.  They'll collect tolls on the express lanes for 50 years.  Cintra is paying to build one toll road, the southern extension of State Highway 130.  TxDOT will own this road, and will get a percentage of the toll money.  Cintra will operate it for 50 years.  Even when the privately-operated toll roads and lanes are open, toll collections and customer service will be handled by the overseeing public agency, either TxDOT or NTTA.

I really don't like anyone profiting from public roads, either businesses or government.  Public agencies overcharge toll payers to generate "excess revenue" to have more money to send to TxDOT or spend on unrelated projects, such as city streets and non-toll highways.  Since the lottery isn't a basic essential service, I wouldn't object to privitization unless it seemed like a bad deal for the players and tax payers.

kapla

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jul 13, 2012

Give free enterprise a chance.

You'll like it a lot better when private industry takes over.

The biggest crooks are in government.

I agree the free enterprise will ALWAYS do better than governement, as governement is not MEANT to be in BUSINESS.  It is meant to do OTHER LIMITED things, and once we get them outta the way we will be better off.

I am a little taken back that a Spainish company got the bid? 

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