Minnesota Lottery moves to boost integrity
Legislation designed to increase accountability at the Minnesota Lottery moved forward Wednesday, while fallout from the lottery's troubles continued.A Senate committee passed a bill that would have the state lottery director serve at the pleasure of the governor, which means he or she can be removed for no reason. Current law requires the governor to show misconduct before firing the director.Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, introduced the bill this year after reports the lottery director may have ...
Mar 4, 2004, 4:24 am - - Lottery News forum
Minnesota Lottery Cancels $1.3 Million in Contracts with Media Rare
The Minnesota Lottery says it's canceled promotional contracts worth $1.3 million a year with Media Rare.That's the St. Paul company that auditors said received special treatment under former lottery director George Andersen.A lawyer for the lottery says the contract cancellations will be effective April 27. The contracts were for promotional TV and radio shows.The lottery also is considering canceling an additional promotional agreement with the company involving a special vehicle. Already, the ...
Mar 3, 2004, 4:05 am - - Lottery News forum
Minnesota Lottery audit finds high costs, no crime
The Minnesota State Lottery spends more money and provides less to the state than comparable lotteries and should revisit its ties to the St. Paul-based marketing company Media Rare Inc., auditors reported Thursday.Legislative Auditor James Nobles released the audit of the lottery about three weeks after former Lottery Director George Andersen died, apparently by suicide. Andersen had met with auditors about the review the day before he was found dead. We found many things to question and critic ...
Feb 20, 2004, 6:36 am - - Lottery News forum
Bill outlines changes for Minnesota Lottery operations
The Minnesota Lottery would have far less independence from the normal checks and balances of state government under a bill proposed by two legislators. It regularizes this agency, Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, said Wednesday.Rest and Rep. Tim Wilkin, R-Eagan, the co-chairs of the state Audit Commission, proposed the legislation on the eve of the release of an investigative report on the lottery by Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles.George Andersen, the former lottery director, committed suicide las ...
Feb 19, 2004, 7:00 am - - Lottery News forum
Extensive Minnesota lottery probe underway
Minnesota gambling enforcement agents have begun a sweeping investigation into the Minnesota State Lottery that likely will involve inspecting hundreds of contracts with vendors for any improprieties. It is expected to take months to complete. As far as I'm concerned, there are no boundaries, said Norm Pint, special agent in charge of the gambling enforcement division of the Department of Public Safety, which is conducting the probe.Pint said Wednesday that the investigation was prompted by the ...
Feb 19, 2004, 6:58 am - - Lottery News forum
Lottery director's friend also tried to commit suicide, report says
The state's finance commissioner had been actively reviewing the management of the Minnesota State Lottery when lottery director George Andersen committed suicide.Dan McElroy, who is now Gov. Tim Pawlenty's chief of staff, had found enough lapses to warrant a sharp letter to Andersen but he told reporters Thursday he didn't discover anything that suggested Andersen had done anything criminal. He said he isn't sure whether Andersen would have lost his job over the findings. I'm not aware of any a ...
Feb 13, 2004, 7:31 am - - Lottery News forum
Minnesota Lottery to cut ties with bass event
The Minnesota State Lottery will not sponsor any fishing tournaments this year, Gov. Tim Pawlenty's chief of staff said Thursday.Dan McElroy said interim lottery director Michael Vekich plans to drop the Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour promotion. The lottery spent at least $65,000 a year over the past four summers to sponsor the fishing tournaments and solicited money from other sponsors on its behalf, according to lottery records.Former lottery director George Andersen, who killed himself last month ...
Feb 13, 2004, 7:21 am - - Lottery News forum
Strongly worded letter sent to lottery director before his death
After being directed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the state's finance commissioner has worked with the Minnesota State Lottery since last spring to tighten operations, but enough lapses continued that a strongly worded letter was sent to lottery director George Andersen shortly before his death, the Pioneer Press reported.Andersen resisted one of the Finance Department's key recommendations and did not address another major shortcoming identified by the agency. That led, in part, to the letter by Finan ...
Feb 12, 2004, 6:35 am - - Lottery News forum
Minn. lottery director helped steer business to friend's firm
The late director of the Minnesota State Lottery helped a friend's company keep a lucrative lottery contract, the Star Tribune reported on Saturday.George Andersen was found dead of an apparent suicide on Jan. 27, a day after meeting with auditors who were probing his relationship with the company, Media Rare. The public relations firm was founded by Andersen's friend Michael Priesnitz.Auditors have questioned several lucrative contracts that Andersen approved between the lottery and Media Rare. ...
Feb 9, 2004, 6:01 am - - Lottery News forum
Interim Minnesota lottery chief named
The Minnesota Lottery will be temporarily led by Michael Vekich, the former chairman of a state colleges board who was among Gov. Tim Pawlenty's challengers for the Republican nomination in 2002.Pawlenty announced Vekich's appointment Monday, six days after the suicide of longtime director George Andersen. A soon-to-be released government audit of lottery operations had taken an emotional toll on Andersen, according to family members and friends.Pawlenty referenced the audit in a news release ab ...
Feb 3, 2004, 5:38 am - - Lottery News forum
