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Illegal deals of Minn. Lottery revealed in court documentsNews Story
Authorities investigating former Minnesota lottery director George Andersen suspected he was involved in bribery, conspiracy and conflicts of interest, court documents show.Search warrants unsealed Friday lay out the still-open criminal investigation into Andersen's dealings with Media Rare, a public relations firm that had no-bid contracts with the lottery. The warrants are the first public indication that investigators thought Andersen's dealings might have amounted to more than mismanagement.
Dec 5, 2005, 9:45 am - Lottery News

Texas lottery officials concerned about sale of GTECHNews Story
The Rhode Island company that operates many of the Texas lottery's most popular games is up for sale, and state officials are looking to hire an independent law firm to help them ensure that any potential buyer is committed to upholding the company's contractual commitments.Lottery officials told a legislative oversight panel this week that Gtech Corp., which has been under contract to the state agency since the lottery was established in 1992, has received an acquisition offer from an unnamed g
Nov 16, 2005, 11:25 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery ticket plan may kill video pokerNews Story
One of North Carolina's top lawmakers Friday called for banning the sale of lottery tickets at businesses with video poker machines, a ban one operator said would effectively kill the video poker business.Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight proposed the ban in a letter to lottery commission Chairman Charles Sanders. The Dare County Democrat has long opposed video poker. While the Senate has repeatedly voted to ban the games, the House never has.An ongoing federal probe of the industry last ye
Nov 8, 2005, 8:57 am - Lottery News

Scientific Games faces criminal investigationNews Story
Apparent violations of lobbying laws prompt North Carolina to initiate a probeNorth Carolina Wednesday began a criminal investigation of lottery company Scientific Games and three people who worked this year for the major gaming operator.The N.C. Secretary of State's office, which regulates lobbyists, said it found apparent violations of the lobbying laws by Scientific Games International Inc. and a vice president, Alan Middleton, as well as company consultants Meredith Norris and Kevin Geddin
Nov 3, 2005, 11:12 am - Lottery News

Charlotte wants limits on N.C. lottery salesNews Story
Charlotte leaders have asked North Carolina's new lottery commission to approve unusual rules that would limit ticket sales in fragile neighborhoods.In a letter sent to commission members, city attorney Mac McCarley asked them to get feedback from local governments before determining whether ticket outlets are appropriate in certain areas.He also asked that lottery outlets be at least 50 feet from a church or school. We don't want any business to become a magnet for trouble in the neighborhood
Oct 26, 2005, 12:33 pm - Lottery News

GTECH may enter supreme court hearingsNews Story
A former Texas lottery official, who claimed that then-Gov. George W. Bush's desire to cover up his National Guard record helped steer decisions about a key lottery contract, said he wants to talk to senators about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers' possible role in that effort. If I were to be subpoenaed to come to the thing, I would come, said Lawrence Littwin, who filed a lawsuit after he was fired as the lottery's executive director in 1997. I would say the committee, I think, would be i
Oct 5, 2005, 11:57 am - Lottery News

Former lottery 'numbers' operator rebuilds life after jailNews Story
At the height of his career operating an illegal lottery called the numbers, Otis Ray was running four-digit bar tabs in his $70,000 Titans stadium suite and rubbing elbows with Nashville's elite.Now, just months out of prison, Ray, 53, is working as night watchman at a local Comfort Inn and rebuilding his life on $6-an-hour wages.Ray spent nearly 25 years working in the underground lottery. Just one month after he was sent to federal prison in December 2003, the Tennessee Lottery sold its fir
Oct 1, 2005, 9:34 am - Lottery News

Will gamble on lottery revenue pay off for N.C.?News Story
Research shows more money goes to schools, but ad blitz may have unintended costs The states now offering lotteries do not simply make a product available in order to accommodate the widespread taste for buying a low-priced chance at a big prize. They seek to foster that taste. ...The state lottery agencies have in fact evolved into a new breed of government agency created in the mold of the modern corporation with its eyes firmly fixed on the bottom line. So wrote Charles Clotfelter and Philip
Sep 19, 2005, 12:27 pm - Lottery News

Lottery tickets may soon be sold on military basesNews Story
More than 178,000 retail outlets across 41 states and the District of Columbia sell state lottery tickets. Last year these retailers earned more than $3 billion in commissions on ticket sales of almost $49 billion.Military exchanges want a piece of that action.Congress is weighing a first-ever proposal from the Department of Defense to amend current law to allow lottery ticket sales in stateside exchanges, except where such sales would pinch the businesses of blind vendors already selling lotter
Sep 12, 2005, 8:12 am - Lottery News

Will N.C. create a lottery-video poker partnership?News Story
North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, argues that North Carolina's new education lottery will remove the allure of another hotly debated form of gambling -- video poker. People tell me the lottery will probably pretty much do away with video poker, said Black, who backs the video poker industry. Those people who want to do some recreational gambling can certainly get their kicks with the lottery. Other video poker supporters hope the opposite will happen.A few states have made
Sep 12, 2005, 6:51 am - Lottery News