States go all in, expand gaming to plug the budget
Faced with a drop in gambling revenue, states are adding games, considering new casinos and increasing lottery options anything to keep their cut of the profits rolling in.
States are adamant that they don't want to take advantage of anyone, but with budgets in free-fall and tax increases a losing hand politically, lawmakers acknowledge they are dependent on gambling dollars.
At least 18 states this year are looking to expand games of chance because of a drop-off of anywhere from 5 to 14 p ...
Mar 15, 2010, 9:24 pm - - Lottery News forum
Iowa Lottery gives raffle game another try
The Iowa Lottery is giving a raffle game another try and hoping for more luck with the weather.
Lottery vice president, Mary Neubauer says the first raffle game launched in the spring of 2008 timing that turned out not to be so lucky.
Neubauer says the raffle sales started just at the time when the tornadoes and flooding hit the state and that had a big impact on the raffle says. The new raffle is called Pot O' Gold Raffle and the winner will be drawn on St. Patrick's Day.
She says the ...
Jan 19, 2010, 8:01 am - - Lottery News forum
Iowa lottery offering bonus holiday drawing
Officials with the Iowa Lottery say those playing holiday scratch-off games shouldn't throw away their tickets if they lose.
Terry Rich, the chief executive of the Iowa Lottery, says for the first time this year, holiday tickets that aren't winners are eligible for other prizes. Rich says players can enter the ticket serial number online to play a bonus game.
The lottery is calling the promotion Tech the Halls and Rich says electronics and cash prizes are available.
Players can enter th ...
Dec 28, 2009, 11:12 am - - Lottery News forum
Lawmakers to mediate spat over Iowa Lottery security
Relations have become so strained between feuding directors of two state agencies that a couple of Iowa lawmakers have agreed to step in as mediators.
The standoff pits state ombudsman William Angrick against Iowa Lottery chief executive Terry Rich.
Angrick's staff, which investigates citizen complaints, has spent more than two years investigating the Iowa Lottery and has concluded that lottery players could be at risk of being cheated.
Rich says he has responded fully to each of the om ...
Dec 14, 2009, 9:33 am - - Lottery News forum
Iowa joins multi-state Mega Millions lottery
Iowa Lottery players will soon be able to make their first drawing for Mega Millions, a popular multistate game that paid a record $390 million jackpot two years ago.
The Iowa Lottery Board voted unanimously Monday to join Mega Millions, which will give lottery players another opportunity to buy chances for a Powerball-style game, said Iowa Lottery Chief Executive Officer Terry Rich. Ticket sales for Mega Millions are scheduled to start in Iowa on Jan. 31 for a Feb. 2 drawing.
Both games o ...
Nov 17, 2009, 7:29 am - - Lottery News forum
Iowa steelworkers group claims $1 million Powerball lottery prize
A group of 10 co-workers from a Des Moines tire-manufacturing plant stepped forward Monday to claim a $1 million Powerball prize they'd won with a ticket purchased a local convenience store.
The co-workers who all produce agricultural tires at the Des Moines Firestone plant are calling themselves The Local 310 Ten because they're all members of Local 310 of the United Steelworkers Union. They've pooled their money to buy Powerball tickets together for about five years and made for a happy bun ...
Oct 13, 2009, 8:42 am - - Lottery News forum
Recent checks of Iowa Lottery retailers find no fraud
Security checks at lottery ticket sale locations at about 200 locations statewide in recent months have revealed no improper payments of prizes to or by store personnel, Iowa's lottery chief told a panel of state legislators last week.
Terry Rich, chief executive officer of the Iowa Lottery, played up the safety and profitability of the lottery before members of the Legislature's Oversight Committee in the wake of an expansive report by Iowa's Ombudsman of State. The April report found the lo ...
Jun 15, 2009, 7:14 am - - Lottery News forum
Players can get credit for Iowa lottery error
The Iowa Lottery says it will pay qualified players after an operator error on its computer system vendor interrupted its Big Beepin' Deal promotion.
Officials say any player who made a qualifying purchase on Sunday, Monday and part of Tuesday can receive a $20 bonus by mailing the ticket to the lottery.
Officials say the error prevented the promotion from running for a time.
The Big Beepin' Deal began May 3. For every 20th purchase statewide of a $10 Powerball with a Power Play option, ...
May 27, 2009, 10:53 am - - Lottery News forum
New report criticizes Iowa Lottery security
Report claims lottery not investigating fraud complaints
The state ombudsman issued a report Tuesday alleging Iowa Lottery officials have failed to adequately protect the enterprise's customers from fraud and theft by retailers.
Iowa Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman Bill Angrick said his review of three years' worth of lottery investigations found numerous customer complaints where leads went unexplored and potential crimes were not pursued.
And, Angrick said in a 210-page report, even when the ...
Apr 22, 2009, 12:08 pm - - 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
