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Iowa Lottery investigation highlights difficult balance between security and profitsNews Story
For more than a year while he worked at the Brick Street Market in Bondurant, Iowa, Matthew Hinrichs quietly stole lottery tickets, cashing in at least $28,000 in illegitimate prize money, prosecutors say. When he was finally caught in 2016, Hinrichs pleaded guilty to two felony counts of fraud and was ordered to pay back those winnings, plus nearly $5,000 more. Lottery officials say their layers of security allowed them to track Hinrichs' activity, providing data that was invaluable to pr
Jun 6, 2017, 2:48 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Top N.Y. lottery winners probably lost millionsNews Story
Millions of people play the New York state lottery every year. None of them won big more often over the past eight years than a guy sitting at two out-of-the-way lakeside bars in Oswego County. Randal Stier won Quick Draw prizes of $600 or more at least 1,400 times from 2009 through last year, according to data obtained from the state lottery by journalism students at Columbia University. It's a total of nearly $1.6 million. Other players won more money, but nobody won big more times.
May 30, 2017, 1:13 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Iowa Legislators start spinning TouchPlay debate todayNews Story
There are a lot of jackpots on the line today when legislators begin debating the future of the Iowa Lottery's slot machine-like games located in Main Street businesses across the state. More than 6,000 machines in 2,800 taverns, grocery, convenience stores and other locations across Iowa have brought in more than $212 million in sales since July. Another 4,500 machines are expected to be installed. Large companies such as Royal Financial, which operates 25 percent of the machines, and
Mar 13, 2006, 8:38 am - Todd - Lottery News

The little firm that got a big chunk of D.C.'s lottery and sports gambling contract has no employeesNews Story
The Greek company Intralot, which last month received a $215 million contract to bring sports gambling to the nation's capital and to continue running its lottery, says more than half the work will go to a small D.C. firm a condition that helped the gaming giant win the no-bid contract. The firm, Veterans Services Corp., will perform the ENTIRE subcontract with its own organization and resources, according to a document signed this summer by a top Intralot executive. District law requires
Sep 2, 2019, 6:36 am - Todd - Lottery News

Investigation: Illinois Lottery didn't award 40% of scratch-off grand prizesNews Story
It was called The Good Life and offered the biggest grand prize of any instant game the Illinois Lottery had ever produced. Two lucky winners could scratch their way to $46 million each, paid in periodic installments. At $30, tickets weren't cheap, but millions were sold. Then the game ended before the lottery sold most of the tickets that were printed, with neither top prize awarded. The same thing happened with another instant game, called Birthday Surprise. Two large grand prizes offere
Dec 9, 2016, 1:50 pm - Todd - Lottery News

NJ Lottery investigating retailer lottery ticket 'discounting' practicesNews Story
Some people seem to have all the luck. And in New Jersey, some of the luckiest people are retailers who sell lottery tickets. Or so it appears from the New Jersey Lottery's list of winners. An Asbury Park Press review of Lottery claims submitted since 2009 found that half of the 20 most frequent prizewinners are either licensed lottery retailers or family members of store operators. As a group, those 10 people collected 840 prizes totaling almost $1.8 million, the Press found. About 70
Dec 6, 2014, 11:30 am - Todd - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery director hires core management staffNews Story
Outcry over high salaries; Director defends Ernie Passailaigue, who started his job two weeks ago as executive director of the Arkansas Lottery Commission, has been steadily hiring employees to fill core management positions, while defending the high salaries he is giving the new staff. Before the hiring commenced, a legislative committee signed off ealier this month on the newly hired lottery chief's plan to pay his top deputies more than $200,000 each. Passailaigue asked legislators t
Jul 15, 2009, 11:53 am - Todd - Lottery News