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Mega Millions boosts Texas lottery salesNews Story
Lottery ticket sales have increased an average of 30 percent since Texas joined the multistate lottery Mega Millions two weeks ago, state officials said Thursday.But the increase accompanied an advertising push to promote the new game. Lottery officials cautioned that more time is needed to determine the long-term impact of Mega Millions on existing games.The two-week revenue on overall lottery ticket sales increased from an average of $56 million before Mega Millions to $65 million during the p
Dec 19, 2003, 3:18 am - Lottery News

AT&T fixes problem that stalled lotteryNews Story
The AT T phone problem that affected Maryland Lottery machines and some long-distance customers on Monday was resolved around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, AT T spokesman Dave Johnson said.The problem, which shut down 329 lottery machines in Washington County for most of Monday, was caused when snow melted and froze on an AT T microwave tower outside Hagerstown, Johnson said.Callers experiencing problems encountered a fast busy signal or a recording saying all circuits were busy and to try later, Johnson s
Dec 10, 2003, 7:16 am - Lottery News

Phone trouble halts MD lottery sales for 6 hoursNews Story
On Monday, lottery players were having a hard time getting clerks to take their money.That's because 329 lottery machines were down in Washington County for about six hours because of a problem with AT T phone lines, according to Maryland Lottery spokesman Brian Johnson and AT T spokesman Dave Johnson.Snow that melted and froze on an AT T microwave tower outside Hagerstown probably was the culprit that caused the lottery machines to go down, a problem that also affected some long-distance caller
Dec 9, 2003, 7:55 am - Lottery News

Texas Mega Millions sales off to a good startNews Story
If the lines Wednesday at the luckiest store in Texas were any indication, lottery players were ready for the state's first day of ticket sales in the multistate Mega Millions game. I don't know the new game; I don't know how it's played, but I'm going to give it a try, said Manuel Franco, a 55-year-old customer from Mexico who said he had won $70,000 at the South Texas store. I didn't think it was going to be popular, but it's blowing up, said Oby Martinez, manager at Town Country Lottery
Dec 4, 2003, 5:57 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

Lottery buffs fear impact on Lotto TexasNews Story
There's a new buzzword these days at the Texas Lottery Commission: cannibalization.It's being used to describe how much the new Mega Millions multi-state lottery will eat away at the sales of the 11-year-old favorite, Lotto Texas.For the first time Wednesday, people will be able to buy a chance at the Mega Millions jackpot in Texas. There are people out there ready to step up first thing in the morning, people that are motivated by high jackpots, said Reagan Greer, executive director of the com
Dec 3, 2003, 5:31 am - Lottery News

Mega wait almost over for lottery's Mega MillionsNews Story
A day doesn't go by without a customer asking Duc Lu when he's going to start selling the Mega Millions lottery tickets. They say, `When do they come in?' I say, `Don't worry, you come in, I'll tell you what day they come out,' said Lu, 47, who has run the HLD Food Mart on Koenig Lane for 18 years.Lu hasn't sold a winning lottery ticket, but it hasn't discouraged people from making his store the No. 1 retailer for Texas Lotto and scratch-off ticket sales in Austin. He attributes his high sales
Dec 2, 2003, 4:26 am - Lottery News

Will Mega Millions be the ticket for Texas?News Story
Multistate game debuts this week with long odds, mixed predictionsTexas' plunge into the multistate lottery market this week with its promise of mega-jackpots and new revenues for the state is a bit of a gamble, supporters and critics agree.Tickets for the Mega Millions game go on sale Wednesday (December 3, 2003), followed by one of the twice-weekly drawings two days later (Friday, December 5, 2003). Texas is the 11th state to join the game.Yet-to-be answered questions: Will players be turned
Nov 29, 2003, 9:29 pm - Lottery News

Ohio Supreme Court upholds state joining multistate lotteryNews Story
Ohio can participate legally in a multistate lottery but cant take profits from the lottery away from education, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that largely favored the state.Lottery opponents said the ruling could make it easier for Ohio to introduce electronic slot machines at racetracks.Ohio joined the Mega Millions game in May 2002. Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington also participate in Mega Millions draw
Nov 20, 2003, 6:57 am - Lottery News

Former police chief wins millions in lotteryNews Story
After 20 years of buying lottery tickets with the same pre-selected numbers, Glenn Phenicie's casual decision on Friday to buy a Maryland Lotto ticket with computer-generated random numbers netted him a $3.4 million payoff.Phenicie, a retired Waynesboro, Pennsylvania police chief, opted to take his winnings in an annuity, which will pay out $95,200 annually after taxes over the next 25 years. He estimates he'll get about $80,000 a year after taxes.Phenicie and his wife, Valerie, claimed their Lo
Nov 12, 2003, 4:16 am - Lottery News