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Georgia woman accused of scheme to steal lottery winningsNews Story
A Georgia woman has been indicted in Missouri on charges that stole nearly half a million dollars in lottery winnings from a 60-year-old victim. Freya Pearson, 41, of Georgia and formerly of Kansas City, Mo., was charged last month in a nine-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, according to Don Ledford, public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri. The indictment, according to Ledford, alleges that Pearson convinced her victi
Nov 12, 2014, 12:04 pm - Lottery News

Jamaican DJ to plead guilty in lottery scamNews Story
A prominent Jamaican disc jockey charged for his role in a lottery scam targeting older people in the Dakotas and elsewhere is scheduled to plead guilty. Deon-ville O'Hara, also known as ZJ Wah Wa, is among 26 people who were indicted by a federal grand jury in North Dakota, where the investigation is centered. He is charged with three counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering. A plea agreement filed last month calls for O'Hara to plead guilty to conspiracy, which carr
Oct 8, 2014, 7:37 am - Lottery News

NJ court rules against union's effort to stop state lottery privatizationNews Story
A state appeals court last week ruled against a public workers union in its effort to stop New Jersey from privatizing parts of the state lottery. Despite months of objections from Democratic lawmakers and union leaders, the state announced last June that it signed a 15-year contract for a private company, Northstar New Jersey, to manage the sales and marketing branches of the lottery. Gov. Chris Christie's administration said the move will bring New Jersey a surge in revenue. But the Comm
Jul 8, 2014, 7:27 am - Lottery News

Lottery pool can't be a business in TennesseeNews Story
In a formal opinion, the state attorney general has declared that Tennessee law prohibits participation in a lottery pool managed by a third party throwing cold water on a Blount County man's idea for a part-time business, though apparently not on informal pools among friends. State Rep. Bob Ramsey, R-Maryville, said he requested the opinion from Attorney General Bob Cooper after a senior citizen constituent asked if his idea of a part-time retirement business would be legal. Basically, th
Jun 10, 2014, 7:56 am - Lottery News

Pennsylvania Lottery to drive profits by boosting payoutsNews Story
The state House on Tuesday approved a change to the Pennsylvania Lottery that the Corbett administration says will allow it to maximize profits for senior programs by meeting consumer demand for high-payout instant tickets. State law requires the lottery to dedicate no less than 27 percent of revenue from ticket sales to funding programs for seniors. But most of the lottery's sales growth is from scratch-off tickets, which return less money to the state than do terminal-based games such as th
Apr 30, 2014, 9:56 am - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery mulling changes to drawingsNews Story
Could this be a move to all-computerized drawings and the death of real drawings in Illinois? After 20 years of perky hosts and ping pong balls, the future of live Illinois Lottery drawings on WGN-Ch.9 is up in the air. Lottery officials said Tuesday they are considering parting ways with WGN-TV, home to daily drawings since 1994, when the current one-year contract expires in June. Advances in lottery technology, an influx of new games and the move by Tribune Co. to pull the evening drawin
Apr 16, 2014, 8:07 am - Lottery News

$338M NJ Powerball winner reconciles with girlfriend who sued himNews Story
Instant wealth fractured their 10-year relationship, but love, it appears, conquers all. At least that's the latest story line in the rags-to-riches melodrama of the Passaic bodega owner and his on-and-off, live-in girlfriend who split up after he won a massive Powerball jackpot last spring, wrangled over the money in court, and now have reconciled. On Valentine's Day, no less, according to Paul Fernandez, an attorney for lottery winner Pedro Quezada. The revelation Friday followed a co
Mar 10, 2014, 6:38 pm - Lottery News

Pennsylvania Senate may work privatization dealNews Story
But solution may not come until 2014 There is broad support among Senate Republicans to give the governor authority for a private company to manage the Pennsylvania Lottery and legalize electronic games such as keno to boost state revenue, the Senate majority leader said on Monday. But quick action in the Legislature appears unlikely, said Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County. He didn't rule out a vote on Tuesday but noted long odds against that happening. Many senators want further vet
Dec 10, 2013, 7:57 am - Lottery News

Pa. Lottery director to departNews Story
The executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery is leaving for a private-sector position with a subcontractor of the company the state contracts for lottery services. Todd Rucci, appointed executive director in September 2011, will stay until Nov. 22. Then he'll take a government and communication relations job with PAP Technologies, a Lancaster-based firm specializing in lottery ticket printing for games such as Powerball and Mega Millions. The company is a subcontractor of Scientific
Nov 9, 2013, 6:34 pm - Lottery News

Pa. Gov. defends lottery privatization explorationNews Story
If privatizing the Pennsylvania Lottery's management isn't the answer to ensuring reliable and predictable funding for programs for older Pennsylvanians, what is? That's the question that a spokesman for Gov. Tom Corbett raised in responding to state Treasurer Rob McCord call on Monday to pull the plug on the administration's lottery private management agreement (PMA) pursuit. Our need is outpacing our ability to fund those programs, said Corbett press secretary Jay Pagni. The PMA is a ve
Oct 29, 2013, 8:10 am - Lottery News