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'Prize closet' for Illinois Lottery employees discoveredNews Story
The Illinois Lottery solicited donations of MP3 players, airline ticket vouchers, video game systems and other goodies from radio and television stations it advertised with, then used the items to create a prize closet for lottery employees, a state audit revealed on Wednesday. During this engagement it came to our attention that the Lottery has operated a 'prize closet' dating back to 1989 and possibly longer, said Auditor General William Holland's report.According to the audit, a letter sol
May 6, 2005, 10:05 am - Lottery News

Texas to use Lottery to institute video slot machinesNews Story
Facing an uphill battle to amend the Texas Constitution to allow video slot machines, some Texas lawmakers are working on legislation to authorize the devices as an extension of the lottery.Such a bill would only require a majority vote in the House and Senate and then the governor's signature. A proposed constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers and then a vote by the public.Mike Sizemore, a spokesman for Sen. Ken Armbrister, said Armbrister is trying to determine whe
Feb 17, 2005, 9:26 am - Lottery News

NY woman loses $25,000 through phone lottery scamNews Story
A 71-year-old Clarkstown, New York woman was cheated out of $25,000 through a phony telephone lottery scam, Clarkstown police said yesterday.A caller told the woman in early November that she had won the $300,000 Canadian lottery and could collect the money after paying taxes, police said.The woman sent $1,500 to a Chicago address through Western Union. The scammers made follow-up calls and she made 19 payments to various people over the next two months, bringing the total to $25,000, police sai
Jan 5, 2005, 10:09 am - Lottery News

Thailand gambling tycoon gets 6 years in jail for rigging the lotteryNews Story
Five men including Klom Bang Kruai, a gambling tycoon from Nonthaburi, have been sentenced to six years in jail for rigging the lottery in Thailand.The Criminal Court found Somtrakul Jomkrathok, Kittichart Kulpradit, Narong Unpaet alias Klom Bang Kruai, a lottery bookmaker in Nonthaburi, Suriyan Duangkaew, and Pichai Thep-arak, a tycoon from Lop Buri, together with other suspects still at large rigged lottery results of the Government Lottery Office and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural
Dec 30, 2004, 9:01 am - Lottery News

New Oklahoma Lottery Bill Helps Many Non-Profit OrganizationsNews Story
After years of finding creative ways to sell tickets for a special item without actually calling it a raffle (which was illegal), school organizations can now legally raffle off chances at a quilt, an autographed ball, or some other prize.The new freedom for schools and specific qualified organizations comes as the result of Oklahoma's new State Lottery bill.For years, Oklahoma legislators tried to find a way to allow non-profit groups to conduct raffles without opening the door to other more
Dec 27, 2004, 7:52 am - Lottery News

Global Pyramid Lottery Sceme Indicted AgainNews Story
On the heels of several indictments and guilty pleadings worldwide, World Games Inc. (WGI) is once again the target of law enforcement.WGI offers different lottery and gaming products to its members on the Internet. Like a pyramid scheme, members join with the intention of registering as many new members as possible, in order to derive credit from those new members. In keeping with a pyramid scheme, the vast percentage of rewards go to the members highest up in the scheme.Pyramid schemes are i
Dec 17, 2004, 12:26 pm - Lottery News

Gaming executives guilty of operating illegal lottery, pyramid schemeNews Story
Six of the lead promoters of World Games Inc. (WGI) plead guilty to operating and promoting an Illegal Pyramid Scheme December 6, 2004 in Calgary, Alberta.The guilty plea was a result of a five month Joint Forces investigation including the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (Gaming Investigation Team), Calgary Police Service, RCMP, and the Lethbridge Police Service.World Games Inc. CEO, Greg Kennedy was found guilty of pyramid selling offenses by the Australian Federal Court earlier this year
Dec 8, 2004, 8:53 am - Lottery News

Canadian and U.S. officials shut down lottery scamsNews Story
Those enticing e-mails and telemarketing calls saying you have won some nation's lottery? They're bogus, folks. Guard your money.So who is falling for these scams? In most cases, trusting elderly consumers who see this as a chance to leave money to their kids.The scams have been hard to nail down because they work across national borders, raising jurisdictional hurdles.But U.S. agents now are working with their foreign counterparts to crack down on the frauds.Canadian and U.S. investigators said
Nov 19, 2004, 11:49 am - Lottery News

Idaho gambling sting nets 50 machinesNews Story
Idaho State Police investigators said they seized about 50 illegal gambling machines in a raid of 13 bars across the state, most of them in the Boise region.The search warrants and seizures came after a yearlong investigation. Officials said they were tipped off by family members of gamblers who allegedly frequented the bars.The machines were not casino-style slot machines, officials said. Instead, players could rack up credits or points, and bar employees allegedly would pay them money based on
Nov 11, 2004, 11:41 am - Lottery News

Promotional Game Ruled IllegalNews Story
The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that a promotional game that offers up to a $250 cash prize is a form of lottery that is illegal in the state.The Appeals Court upheld a lower court ruling that determined the game, sponsored by Minnesota Souvenir Milkcaps, is really a lottery because customers pay for the chance to win a cash prize -- not for any tangible good.It's a misdemeanor to conduct a lottery in Minnesota.Attorney General Mike Hatch sued Minnesota Souvenir Milkcaps, and a R
Oct 13, 2004, 8:52 am - Lottery News