Search

Arkansas Lottery forecasts $5M drop in scholarship moneyNews Story
Arkansas' lottery is on track to bring in roughly $5 million less for scholarships than last year, the games' interim director said Tuesday, as lawmakers prepare to consider whether to reduce the amounts of the scholarships next year. Interim Lottery Director Julie Baldridge told the lottery's legislative oversight committee that the lottery is on track to raise $89 million for college scholarships for the fiscal year that began July 1. That's a drop from the $94.2 million the games raised in
Dec 7, 2011, 3:02 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery to begin director searchNews Story
The Arkansas Lottery Commission voted Monday to begin its search for a new director in December, but the panel left unanswered how quickly it hoped to fill the vacancy left by former director Ernie Passailaigue. The commission voted to begin advertising for the director job on Dec. 1 and to begin reviewing applications at its Jan. 9 meeting. The panel set a priority deadline of Jan. 4, but it said it would continue to accept applications after that date. The commission hired Passailaigue,
Nov 23, 2011, 10:04 am - Lottery News

1 ticket sold in Connecticut wins $254.2M Powerball lottery jackpotNews Story
Powerball's biggest cash value in 5 years Powerball's biggest jackpot in 18 months $254.2 million was up for grabs Wednesday night. It was won by a single ticket sold in Connecticut that matched all the numbers drawn: 12, 14, 34, 39, and 46, with Powerball number 36. The Power Play number was 4. The cash prize, about $150 million, was the biggest in five years. Just missing, by failing to match only the Powerball, were tickets in a dozen states. One in Arkansas is worth $1 million fo
Nov 3, 2011, 9:47 am - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery not in a rush to fill director positionNews Story
Arkansas Lottery commissioners said Monday they're in no rush to find a replacement for director Ernie Passailaigue weeks after he resigned the job and following the departure of two of his deputies. The nine-member commission did not vote on a job description for the post after members said they wanted more time to review criteria. Passailaigue, who oversaw the state of Arkansas' lottery, resigned Sept. 19 following criticism over his management of the games. Commission Chairwoman Dianne
Oct 17, 2011, 8:35 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery fires second VPNews Story
The Arkansas Lottery has fired the last of three top officials brought in to launch the games two years ago, and the lottery commission's chairwoman called the move an opportunity for change. Ernestine Middleton, the lottery vice president for administration, was fired Wednesday two days after the resignations of embattled director Ernie Passailaigue and another vice president, David Barden. Passailaigue announced last month he would be leaving, but Barden and Middleton had said they wanted t
Oct 7, 2011, 6:56 am - Lottery News

New travel questions crop up in Ark. Lottery director's final days in officeNews Story
Outgoing Arkansas Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue gave his last scheduled report to state lawmakers today, as the lottery's internal auditor said new questions have arisen about Passailaigue's travel reimbursements. Michael Hyde told the legislative committee that oversees the lottery today that he has referred to the Division of Legislative Audit a few things that came up. It was of a nature that I felt like it needed to be investigated, he said. Hyde mentioned the matter in answ
Oct 3, 2011, 1:24 am - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery VPs hope to stay after director leavesNews Story
Arkansas Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue is moving on, but the two top executives he brought with him from South Carolina say they hope to stay put. Soon after Passailaigue left his job as director of South Carolina s lottery to become director of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery in the summer of 2009, he hired two South Carolina lottery officials, David Barden and Ernestine Middleton, to be his vice presidents in Arkansas at nearly $100,000 more than their salaries back home. On Monda
Sep 20, 2011, 8:57 pm - Lottery News

Panel eyes less pay for next Ark. lottery chiefNews Story
The Arkansas Lottery Commission hasn't begun its search for a replacement for outgoing Director Ernie Passailaigue, but the commission's chairman and a key legislative leader said Tuesday that whoever gets the job shouldn't expect the same paycheck. A day after Passailaigue resigned, the lottery commission's chairwoman and the co-chairman of the lottery's oversight committee said they didn't expect the next director to enjoy the same high salary. Passailaigue's $324,000 annual pay, along with
Sep 20, 2011, 8:40 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery director resignsNews Story
Includes video report The Arkansas Lottery Commission Monday accepted the resignation of embattled state Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue, who ends his controversial tenure on his own after surviving two past attempts by commission members to fire him. Passailaigue submitted a letter of resignation to the commission's chairman, Dianne Lamberth of Batesville, on Friday. His resignation will be effective Oct. 7. Passailaigue was not hired on a contract and will receive no buyout. Th
Sep 19, 2011, 10:01 pm - Lottery News

Lottery ticket sales increase across countryNews Story
Financial records for 41 state lotteries that end their fiscal year in June show 28 had higher sales than the year before. Seventeen of those states set all-time sales records. Kate Sweeny, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside, said an uptick in lottery sales largely occurs when people feel a lack of control over events larger than themselves, such as the economy. Jeff Anderson, head of the executive committee of the North American Association of S
Sep 6, 2011, 9:05 am - Lottery News