Q&A with the CT Lottery CEO
The Hartford Business Journal recently conducted an interview of the Connecticut Lottery CEO.
Q: The lottery has a rich history in our country, dating back to the Revolutionary War when it was used to finance armaments. A legislator floated the idea of a super lottery for deficit reduction. Is there a lottery game out there that could generate $1 billion for the state in profit?
Currently, our revenues to the state exceed a quarter-billion dollars annually. It is unlikely that there exists ...
Apr 14, 2009, 9:36 am - - Lottery News forum
Reflecting bad times, some lotteries hit losing streak
State lotteries are down on their luck as players cut back on games of chance.
From California, where sales for the past year are down 5%, to Florida, where sales slipped 7%, fewer people are gambling on scratch-off tickets and numbers games.
The economy probably has affected lottery sales the way it's affected all discretionary spending, says David Gale of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries.
About half of Americans buy lottery tickets, according to a 2008 ...
Apr 14, 2009, 8:47 am - - Lottery News forum
Mass. Lottery will sell ads on its tickets
Massachusetts Lottery officials constantly tinker with their offerings and odds to try to attract players and haul in more money for the state.
Now they will have a new way to bring in cash, by selling ads on game tickets and monitors.
The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission approved a contract yesterday that will pay the Fenway Sports Group $10,000 a month plus a percentage of whatever advertising revenue the sports-marketing spin-off of the Red Sox is able to attract for the lottery.
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Apr 4, 2009, 9:05 am - - Lottery News forum
Florida Lottery chief comes under hostile fire in House committee
The Florida Lottery's top executive got a dressing-down today from House Republicans for failing to bid out a lucrative contract produce its TV ads, despite a state law requiring the department to start doing so last summer.
The Lottery hired its New York-based ad agency on a month-to-month arrangement on June 30 one day before language in the state budget took effect requiring the department to put the $3.5 million contract out for competitive bids. The monthly arrangement allowed the Lotter ...
Mar 31, 2009, 9:27 pm - - Lottery News forum
Oklahoma Lottery bracing for loss of Arkansas dollars
Legislature refuses to consider bill increasing prizes
Oklahoma will be a big loser when Arkansas begins its lottery games, an official said.
The Oklahoma lottery is expected to lose as much as $12 million in sales during the first year Arkansas has its games, said Jim Scroggins, who is the executive director of Oklahoma's lottery.
We estimate, based on prizes claimed by Arkansas residents, that we will, Scroggins said.
That would result in a loss of $3.5 million to $4 million for e ...
Mar 30, 2009, 8:19 am - - Lottery News forum
Proposal would rename N.C. education lottery
Move in response to Gov. Perdue taking education dollars from lottery
Some state lawmakers aren't happy with where some North Carolina Education Lottery dollars are headed and they're trying to do something to change it.
Mecklenburg County State Rep. Thom Tillis cosponsored House Bill 518, which would strip the education portion out of the lottery name.
Tillis said he and others formed the bill because Gov. Beverly Perdue said she plans to pull $50 million to $70 million from the Educat ...
Mar 17, 2009, 7:29 am - - Lottery News forum
N.J. Lottery to add Powerball?
Could be first state to offer both Mega Millions and Powerball
New Jersey could become the first to participate in two multi-state lotteries.
Two state officials who have been briefed on the budget Gov. Jon S. Corzine will present to the Legislature on Tuesday say it includes a proposal that New Jersey become the 31st state to offer Powerball.
The officials say the game could generate $10 million a year.
New Jersey's other lottery games, including the multi-state Mega Millions, gener ...
Mar 10, 2009, 12:23 am - - Lottery News forum
N.C. lottery revenues redirected away from education
Lottery opponents warned it would happen; they were right
State lawmakers voiced concern today over a transfer of proceeds from lottery-ticket sales from school construction to the state's general fund.
Gov. Bev Perdue's office also clarified details of the transfer today, a day after school systems learned they would lose this quarter's state funding for school construction.
Perdue's office said today that the funding being withheld, $37 million from lottery profits and $5 million from ...
Feb 27, 2009, 9:36 am - - Lottery News forum
New York Lottery axes $1.4M in scholarships after taking in $7.5 billion in 2008
The New York Lottery has quietly halted its college scholarship program for more than 1,150 high school seniors, blaming the governor's budget cuts.
One student from every high school in the state has been eligible for a $5,000 Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship since 2000.
The cut will save the agency, which took in about $7.5 billion in revenues last year, about $1.4 million.
A Lottery spokeswoman said the cut was necessary to comply with Gov. Paterson's request that all agencies cut abo ...
Feb 27, 2009, 7:48 am - - Lottery News forum
Illinois Senate president hopes to expand lottery
Internet sales being contemplated
Hoping to squeeze more money out of the state lottery, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton wants to sell tickets online and hire a private company to manage and market the games.
Cullerton thinks new technology and fresh ideas could help Illinois facing what could be a $9 billion hole in next year's budget dramatically boost lottery revenues.
I would venture to say you could potentially even double it, the Chicago Democrat said in a recent intervi ...
Feb 16, 2009, 9:38 pm - - Lottery News forum
