Lotto fever isn't what it used to be
Sure, there was a buzz Tuesday. Sure, people dreamed. Sure, people blacked out their favorite numbers birthdays and anniversaries hoping for luck to strike.
The chance to win a cool $250 million, though, didn't seem to draw the crazed stampede of wannabe Trumps that it has in the past. In 1984, a then-record $40 million jackpot in Illinois actually caused people to fly in from overseas to take a stab at it.
For some, huge jackpots such as the one offered by the Mega Millions lottery in ...
Aug 30, 2007, 1:00 am - - Lottery News forum
Calif. Lottery fails to meet Mega Millions deadline
The Democrat-controlled California legislature, which has taken an adversarial role against the California Lottery for the past several years, has not met its obligation to change state law by a court-ordered deadline, aimed at ensuring participation in multi-state lotto is fair to education, lottery officials said Wednesday.
The lottery bill making the needed change extension of California's prize-claim period to match 11 other Mega Millions states remained stalled on the eve of Friday's ...
Jul 12, 2007, 1:12 pm - - Lottery News forum
California Lottery official fired for taking 'bonus' from hotel
A California Lottery official has been fired for allegedly pocketing gratuities tied to the weekly Big Spin TV show, where scratch-off ticket winners vie for a chance to win millions.
Richard Leeson was dismissed after an internal investigation found that he received redeemable honors points from a contract to house Big Spin contestants at the Glendale Hilton Hotel, officials said.
This is not the kind of thing you can make excuses for, Lottery Director Joan Borucki said Tuesday at a ...
Jun 13, 2007, 9:03 am - - Lottery News forum
A mega decision for California Lottery?
The state lottery's 2005 entrance into multi-state Mega Millions lotto would become fully legal, and fair to gamblers and schools, under a bill approved Thursday by the Assembly.
At the same time, the Assembly said it is hiring a think tank, Los Angeles-based Milken Institute, to assess Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's push to privatize the state-run lottery. The move came after the governor briefed Democratic legislative leaders on the plan, aimed at yielding immediate cash to ease the state bud ...
May 26, 2007, 9:40 am - - Lottery News forum
SoCal family claims $112M Mega Millions lottery jackpot
A Southern California family claimed their winning ticket Wednesday in the $112 million Mega Millions lottery drawing.
Robert Stafford and his adult children, Robert Jr. and Cynthia, said they bought a $2 quick-pick ticket from a Hawthorne market for Friday night's drawing.
Their purchase became the fifth winning Mega Millions ticket sold in California.
I'm just so excited, I'm happy. It's a dream come true, Cynthia Stafford said with a wide smile and a giggle.
The family chose t ...
May 19, 2007, 10:22 am - - Lottery News forum
$112M Mega Millions lottery ticket purchased in California
A winning Mega Millions ticket was sold at Freeman Market in Hawthorne, California, and officials are waiting for the winner of Friday night's drawing to come forward. The winner has 180 days from the date of the draw to claim the prize.
The winning MegaMillions numbers were 28, 30, 33, 48, and 54, with the Mega Number 25.
A winner choosing annual payments would receive equal payments of about $4.3 million a year before federal tax withholding for the next 26 years, a California Lottery of ...
May 14, 2007, 8:31 am - - Lottery News forum
West Virginia resisting trend to privatize Lottery
About a dozen states are flirting with the idea of selling their lotteries to private companies to help plug financial gaps in their budgets.
But West Virginia officials say they so far have not seriously considered such an initiative, which would privatize the state lottery in exchange for quick cash.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for instance, wants to sell the Golden State's lottery to bring in as much as $37 billion. Under Schwarzenegger's plan, the state lottery would be leas ...
May 10, 2007, 4:26 pm - - Lottery News forum
Schwarzenegger may try to privatize California Lottery
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is poised to call for privatizing the state lottery, a move that would bring California a cash infusion of as much as $37 billion to help solve pressing budget problems but also could sacrifice a major revenue source for decades to come.
The lottery would be leased to a private company for up to 40 years in exchange for a lump-sum payment or series of payments, according to documents from the governor's budget office that were provided to legislative staf ...
May 10, 2007, 2:56 pm - - Lottery News forum
N.J. native wins $38M Calif. Lottery jackpot
Oceanside resident Eugene Salek told officials at the California Lottery that he followed his usual routine yesterday morning. He got up, made coffee and then checked his SuperLotto Plus tickets from the night before.
He knew then that he had won $38 million.
But, Salek said, he went ahead and made breakfast for himself and his wife, Lee, and intended to keep his big news a surprise, telling her only that they were heading out from their home.
Salek couldn't hold back when she question ...
May 4, 2007, 2:44 pm - - Lottery News forum
Mega Millions lottery winner won't change lifestyle
Sure, she's $1.2 million wealthier than she was a week ago, but Mega Millions winner Terry Zuniga has no plans to exchange her routine for the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
In fact, the 57-year-old Whittier resident and in-home caregiver said Tuesday she plans to keep her job caring for her two elderly clients.
Her biggest extravagance will be a trip to Las Vegas with four of her longtime best friends, she said.
After that, she's thinking about having her used Honda which was re ...
Apr 25, 2007, 4:20 am - - Lottery News forum
