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Tennessee lottery debate loomsNews Story
Plenty of gaming topics on Legislature's early agendaWith a state lottery poised to launch next month, Tennessee state legislators face an early decision on whether to unseat those who are directing it and later debate on other gambling issues.Related topics in the upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 13, range from charity gaming to the size of the lottery prize money pool and the standards for granting scholarships to home school students.But the first subject on the agenda is wheth
Jan 2, 2004, 8:50 am - Lottery News

$315M Lottery Winner Shuns AttentionNews Story
$315M Lottery Winner Andrew Whittaker Says He Wishes He'd Been Quieter About Hitting JackpotThe letters never stop. Requests, pleas, hard-luck stories, tales to break your heart: thousands of them, enough to fill hip-high filing cabinets that line three conference-room walls in Andrew Jack Whittaker's new office.They come by the dozens, day after day, though it has been a year since Whittaker won the richest undivided lottery jackpot in U.S. history $314.9 million, payable in an after-tax lum
Dec 26, 2003, 3:50 am - Lottery News

N.Y. Lottery Director To Head Georgia GamesNews Story
The director of New York's lottery, Margaret DeFrancisco, was chosen Thursday to head Georgia's lottery games.Gov. Sonny Perdue, who announced the appointment, called her a can-do person and expressed confidence she will take our lottery to a new level. The Georgia Lottery Corporation has been without a permanent president and chief executive officer since Rebecca Paul, the founding director, jumped ship in September to run Tennessee's startup games.DeFrancisco, 54, has headed the New York ga
Dec 19, 2003, 3:16 am - Lottery News

Tennessee game has border stops ready to cash inNews Story
Some stores plan to expand; 1st lottery outlets at state lineJust 60 days to the opening of the Tennessee lottery, and the folks who own the Chevron station in Ardmore right at Exit 1 on Interstate 65 will be ready: They plan to tear down the building and put up a larger one with better parking and more counter space.And all that should be done in time for the first tickets to be sold on Feb. 10, as they will be across the state, said Rhonda Mills, a store employee.Tennessee is setting up its fi
Dec 19, 2003, 3:10 am - Lottery News

Court deciding legality of NY gambling lawNews Story
A state appeals court is expected to take about two months to make a ruling into whether the 2001 legislation expanding gambling in New York is legal.Anti-gambling forces argue that several aspects of the law are unconstitutional.The bill provided for video lottery terminals at horse-racing tracks, up to six new Indian casinos and New York's entry into the Mega Millions lottery game.
Dec 18, 2003, 4:10 am - Lottery News

Lottery authorizations puzzle officerNews Story
A Metro Vice sergeant wants to know how two brothers convicted of gambling charges could be lucky enough to be among the first independent retailers authorized by Tennessee to sell lottery tickets.Roger and Raleigh Dean Hunt pleaded guilty to gambling at both of their convenience store markets, Sgt. Rob Forrest said. One of those establishments, H H Market, on Centennial Boulevard, was among the first independent shops granted the right to sell lottery games when the state lottery launches Feb.
Dec 12, 2003, 5:34 am - Lottery News

It can happen... from broke to lots of bucksNews Story
James Gatzke was struggling with depression, and living off handouts and charity, with only his seven cats for company, when he hit the jackpot.Three weeks ago, the unemployed 44-year-old was eating beef stew out of a can, and scraping by on food and cash donations from neighbours and charities.His water and power supply had long been cut off, he hadn't worked since August when he was laid off from his job as a cab driver, and he hadn't bathed in months. All I wanted for Christmas was to have di
Dec 11, 2003, 4:59 am - Lottery News

Alaska closer to getting lotteryNews Story
Alaskans could be betting on a new state lottery soon after the upcoming legislative session ends next spring. On Monday, several members of the state house and senate spoke to business leaders about the upcoming session, and gambling, at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce luncheon.Several lawmakers are betting that if new forms of gambling are created, the additional revenue will help bridge the state's fiscal gap. However, many lawmakers including Governor Frank Murkowski are opposed to expandi
Dec 9, 2003, 4:56 am - Lottery News

Texas Mega Millions Sales Begin TodayNews Story
For Texas Lottery lovers, there's a whole new ball game today.Beginning at 6 a.m., tickets were going on sale for Mega Millions, Texas' first foray into high-stakes, multistate lotteries.While chances for Mega Millions and the traditional Lotto Texas cost the same $1 the odds of winning the new game are much lower.But with the additional risk comes the lure of a substantially higher jackpot a minimum of $10 million, compared with Lotto Texas' $4 million minimum. People who play the lottery like
Dec 3, 2003, 5:50 am - Lottery News

Audit finds S.C. lottery operates efficientlyNews Story
An audit of South Carolina's nearly 2-year-old lottery found only a few areas for improvement in cost controls.The South Carolina Education Lottery agreed with almost all the recommendations made in the audit released Tuesday and has implemented many of them, commission Chairman John C.B. Smith Jr. wrote in his response.The lottery has kept costs below the statutory maximum of 15 percent of revenues, but should look at cell phone and car usage for potential cost savings, the audit said. Smith sa
Dec 3, 2003, 5:25 am - Lottery News