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Minnesota lottery chief's suicide note: 'Pity me, blame no one else'News Story
Before committing suicide in January, Minnesota State Lottery Director George Andersen left handwritten notes encouraging his family to not look back. He said he thought lottery operations were proper and am told they are not. Pity me, blame no one else. He added in another note: I must carry the burden and it is too much. . . . Andersen, 53, had run the lottery since it started in 1990 and had done so with little legislative oversight. The state Legislative Auditor reported recently that t
Mar 26, 2004, 8:42 am - Lottery News

News agency owner wins $259,000 in Penn. lotteryNews Story
Wayde Christophel will soon be smiling all the way to the bank.Christophel, a Waynesboro resident who owns The Waynesboro News Agency on West Main Street with his wife Kim, won the $259,000 jackpot in Friday night's Cash 5 drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery.He's not a complete stranger to lottery luck, though. Six years ago, he won $5,000 in the former Saturday Night Spin game.Christophel said he plans to file a claim at lottery headquarters today in Harrisburg, so he was unable to provide deta
Mar 23, 2004, 4:39 am - Lottery News

Miami Police Search For Pair In Alleged Lotto ScamNews Story
Man, Woman Robbed Victim Of $11,000Miami Police said a Latino couple approached a woman on Feb. 4, telling her they needed her help to cash a winning lottery ticket valued at $425,000. The man and woman told the woman they would pay her a percentage of the loot, in exchange for a fee of $11,000.The following week, on Feb. 10, the woman gave the men the $11,000, and the three drove to a pharmacy in North Miami, where the woman left the cash in her car and walked inside the drugstore. The woma
Mar 17, 2004, 5:19 am - Lottery News

Laid off Indiana factory worker claims $89 million Powerball jackpotNews Story
Tim Rivers had a dream last Tuesday night that he'd won $200 million in the lottery.Rivers, 23, of Salem, who'd been laid off recently, told his family about the dream.They laughed at him.Rivers said he told his wife, Why can't that happen to us? It did.He and his wife, Pam, were the only winners of Saturday's $89 million Powerball jackpot. Because they opted for the lump-sum cash payout, the win was worth $49.9 million about $35 million after tax withholding.In an interview last night, Tim Riv
Mar 16, 2004, 7:07 am - Lottery News

Cleveland TV Station Stole Mega Millions BroadcastNews Story
It was front-page news in 1992 when WBBM-Channel 2 snatched the nightly Illinois lottery drawings away from WGN-Channel 9 and moved them to the middle of the 10 o'clock news.Bill Applegate, who was vice president and general manager of Channel 2 at the time, figured that by airing the live drawings during a commercial break, he could increase the ratings for his late news.As much as staffers hated the idea of jazzing up the news with flashing lights and models in slinky evening gowns pulling the
Mar 10, 2004, 4:25 am - Lottery News

Governor Proposes Powerball for MaineNews Story
Saturdays Megabucks jackpot was $1.6 million. Soon jackpots will dwarf that if Maine joins the 24-state Powerball lottery game as proposed by Gov. John Baldacci.Stephanie Brown, assistant manager at Victor News on Park Street, cant wait. The jackpot for Wednesdays Powerball drawing is $79 million.We have many, many, many people who drive all the way to New Hampshire to buy Powerball tickets, Brown said. Youll hear some say, Do you want me to get you tickets? That bothers her. Were losing suppor
Mar 8, 2004, 4:56 am - Lottery News

Record Mega Millions jackpot still unclaimedNews Story
It's been 12 days since the single winning ticket for the $239 million Mega Millions lottery was announced, but no one has claimed the jackpot.Officials of the 11-state Mega Millions lottery say the winning ticket was sold Feb. 20 at the Red Apple convenience store in Stephens City, Va., the Washington Post reported Wednesday.Penelope Kyle, executive director of the Virginia Lottery, said two mysterious lawyers called her office to say they represented the winner but they both have vanished.Ot
Mar 4, 2004, 4:30 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery moves to boost integrityNews Story
Legislation designed to increase accountability at the Minnesota Lottery moved forward Wednesday, while fallout from the lottery's troubles continued.A Senate committee passed a bill that would have the state lottery director serve at the pleasure of the governor, which means he or she can be removed for no reason. Current law requires the governor to show misconduct before firing the director.Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, introduced the bill this year after reports the lottery director may have
Mar 4, 2004, 4:24 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery Cancels $1.3 Million in Contracts with Media RareNews Story
The Minnesota Lottery says it's canceled promotional contracts worth $1.3 million a year with Media Rare.That's the St. Paul company that auditors said received special treatment under former lottery director George Andersen.A lawyer for the lottery says the contract cancellations will be effective April 27. The contracts were for promotional TV and radio shows.The lottery also is considering canceling an additional promotional agreement with the company involving a special vehicle. Already, the
Mar 3, 2004, 4:05 am - Lottery News

Luck, Be a Lady, Madame, and SenoraNews Story
Inspired by American lotteries like Mega Millions, outfits in Spain, Britain, and France have joined forces to woo European bettorsViviane Leconte isn't one to bet on the ponies -- too complicated to be much fun, in her view. But two weeks ago, Leconte, a 58-year-old receptionist in Paris, finally found her gambling Valhalla with the launch of Euro Millions, the first pan-European lottery, and won $400 on her first try. It's so easy, she beams.After more than a decade of research, three nation
Mar 1, 2004, 4:21 am - Lottery News