Texas Lottery officials testify that public was deceived
Texas Lottery Commission Chairman C. Thomas Clowe told lawmakers Wednesday that the public was deceived by recently inflated jackpot estimates and vowed the agency would take action to keep it from happening again.Clowe said lottery Executive Director Reagan Greer was responsible for the deception but declined to say if he should be fired. This was a deception, and it was wrong, said Clowe, who opened nearly four hours of testimony on the inflated jackpots before the House Licensing and Adminis ...
Jun 30, 2005, 12:30 pm - Lottery News forum
Texas Lottery Whistleblower Fired
The scandal embroiling the Texas Lottery Commission over inflated jackpot estimates intensified Wednesday when top agency officials acknowledged firing a colleague who only days earlier warned ticket sales would fall short of advertised amounts.Mike Fernandez, the commission's administrator, called horrendous the timing of the dismissal of Lee Deviney, the agency's chief financial officer.But he denied there was any connection between Deviney's firing and an e-mail Deviney sent his superiors l ...
Jun 30, 2005, 11:54 am - Lottery News forum
Texas lawmakers to grill lottery officials about inflated jackpots
Texas lottery officials could face tough questions and some nasty wrist-slapping today when they testify before lawmakers about inflating several Texas Lotto jackpot estimates.But they would face more scrutiny under a bill filed Tuesday that forces the lottery to comply with laws against deceptive trade practices.Sen. Jane Nelson said recent revelations that lottery officials advertised bigger jackpots than they could afford to pay out jeopardize the integrity of the game and the government that ...
Jun 29, 2005, 5:36 pm - Lottery News forum
Texas Lottery chief admits jackpots were inflated
[Editor: After reading the story, be sure to watch the video report that follows, which provides interesting interviews of the key individuals in this report.]If you've been playing Texas Lotto lately, you may have been playing for less than you thought.Texas Lottery officials admitted Friday they inflated their jackpot numbers on four separate occasions. I will be studying it very closely and clearly to be sure this doesn't happen again, Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director Reagan Greer ...
Jun 27, 2005, 12:26 pm - Lottery News forum
Illinois lottery ad agency off the hook
A special audit of the Illinois Lottery's chief ad agency found the company did not keep adequate records to answer key questions about millions of dollars in payments from the state.However, Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration said Thursday that the special $60,000 audit answered enough of those questions to vindicate the state's support of R.J. Dale Advertising Public Relations.The forensic audit, conducted by Clifton Gunderson LLP of Oak Brook, concluded that there was no evidence of mis ...
Jun 24, 2005, 1:36 pm - Lottery News forum
Texas Lottery jackpot mess has critics enraged
Editor's Note: The following opinion article is not necessarily the opinion of Lottery Post, but is presented to illustrate how the latest Texas Lottery gaffe has fueled the fires of long-time critics of the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC). The article is written by Ken Rodriguez of the San Antonio Express-News.Ken Rodriguez: How Texas lottery advertised make-believe payoff for suckersThe sleight-of-hand Texas Lottery Commission has done it again. On Wednesday, the commission turned the Texas Lo ...
Jun 14, 2005, 11:30 am - Lottery News forum
Texas Lottery has history of jackpot overestimation
The Texas Lotto jackpot has fallen short of the amount advertised on three occasions since November because of lower-than-anticipated ticket sales, a lottery spokesman said Monday.Sales are running almost 26 percent behind last year's pace, said spokesman Bobby Heith, blaming the problem on increased competition for the Texas gambler's money.Overall lottery sales, including tickets for scratch-off games, are up almost 11 percent over fiscal 2004, he added.A longtime lottery critic filed a false- ...
Jun 14, 2005, 10:54 am - Lottery News forum
Illinois Lottery Ad Contract Under Scrutiny
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Wednesday she wants to know more about a $19 million advertising contract for the state lottery that was the subject of a critical audit earlier this month.Her questions center on the results of a report by Auditor General William Holland that shows R.J. Dale Advertising Public Relations had received $7.1 million to promote the state lottery, but could demonstrate only $2 million worth of work. We have reached out to the auditor general and we will b ...
May 18, 2005, 9:15 am - Lottery News forum
