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Coronavirus has brought casino industry 'to a near standstill'News Story
The Covid-19 coronavirus has effectively quarantined the nation's gaming industry. More than three dozen states with commercial casinos or Indian gaming facilities have taken actions to suspend casino operations, enacted limitations that led to a shutdown, or have seen gaming companies and tribal leaders independently close their properties. By late Tuesday, MGM Resorts International one of the nation's leading gaming companies will no longer have a casino property in operation in the U.S.
Mar 21, 2020, 11:01 am - Todd - Lottery News

MUSL paid $1.5 million to settle lawsuit over rigged jackpotNews Story
A national lottery group agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by an Iowa man who claimed that a $9 million jackpot he won in 2011 would have been bigger if the previous one hadn't been fixed by an insider. An email released Friday shows that the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) informed its directors on Oct. 9 that it had agreed to pay Larry Dawson $1.5 million as a full and final settlement of his claims. The association had refused to release details of the settleme
Dec 9, 2019, 8:42 am - Todd - Lottery News

Lottery winner can seek bigger prize at trial, judge rulesNews Story
Lucky Larry may have a shot to win millions more this time from a jury. A judge has ordered a trial in a lawsuit filed by Iowa lottery winner Larry Dawson, who contends a $9 million jackpot that he won in 2011 should have been nearly three times as big. Dawson filed his lawsuit in 2016 after an investigation revealed that lottery contractor Eddie Tipton rigged the previous $16.5 million jackpot, bought the winning ticket himself and unsuccessfully worked with associates to claim it. Da
May 17, 2019, 12:01 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Lawyers seek to depose lottery fraud mastermind in prisonNews Story
Lawyers pursuing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of lottery customers nationwide are seeking to interview the jailed insider who allegedly rigged jackpots for himself and others for years. The lawyers said in a court filing Friday they want to take the deposition of Eddie Tipton at the prison in Clarinda, Iowa, to gather information for their case against the Multi-State Lottery Association. Judge Michael Huppert recently granted class-action status to the case, which involves customers w
Jan 21, 2019, 8:50 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Last defendant in Jamaican lottery scam case going to trialNews Story
A Rhode Island woman accused of funneling lottery scam money between the U.S. and Jamaica through her airline job goes on trial in federal court in North Dakota this week. She is the last of 27 defendants in the case that began seven years ago this month. Here's a look at the case and the upcoming trial of Melinda Bulgin, which is expected to last up to 10 days. Why is this case a big deal? The Federal Trade Commission estimates that lottery scams could be a billion-dollar-a-year industry
Sep 10, 2018, 10:36 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Memo: Iowa Lottery kept selling games after security warningNews Story
A newly unsealed memo shows the Iowa Lottery kept marketing four popular games despite an August 2015 warning from its security chief that their integrity was compromised. The memo was written following the trial of Eddie Tipton, who was convicted of rigging a Hot Lotto jackpot worth $16 million. Steve Bogle, its vice president of security, recommended that the lottery immediately suspend sales of Hot Lotto, Pick 3, Pick 4, and All or Nothing. He told CEO Terry Rich, we cannot allow the ci
Aug 1, 2018, 2:27 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Connecticut Lottery hires director of Illinois Lottery as new CEONews Story
The Connecticut Lottery Corp.'s governing board voted Thursday to hire Gregory Smith, acting director of the Illinois Lottery, as its new CEO in hopes of stability after nearly two years of turmoil, recriminations and investigations at the quasi-public agency with a $1.2 billion annual budget. The lottery's top job had been vacant since Sept. 22, 2016, when last CEO, Anne Noble, stepped down amid controversy and entered an unusual and lucrative severance agreement with the agency's board of d
Jul 6, 2018, 10:10 am - Todd - Lottery News

Former MUSL official received severance amid lottery jackpot scandalNews Story
A prominent lottery official who was stripped of power after a subordinate allegedly carried out a prolonged jackpot-rigging scheme received a $284,000 severance payment, a recent tax filing shows. The Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) made the payment to its longtime executive director Chuck Strutt as part of a voluntary termination agreement signed March 31, according to its 2016 tax return. The filing, released by the group in response to a request by The AP, also reveals that its leg
Jan 10, 2017, 10:04 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Illinois lawmakers call for investigation into lotteryNews Story
State lawmakers from both political parties are calling for an investigation of how the Illinois Lottery managed scratch-off games in response to a report showing the lottery didn't award many of the biggest prizes in the biggest games. I just don't think we should promise people things we don't deliver, said state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. And if we say we have a game that's going to pay X and it doesn't pay X, then we've lied to the people who bought the tickets. Lang was joined by stat
Dec 13, 2016, 8:24 am - Todd - Lottery News

State lawmaker calls for Illinois Lottery probe in light of audit findingsNews Story
Lottery head resigns, another possible winner payout shutdown looms A state lawmaker is calling for an investigation of the Illinois Lottery after a recent audit revealed it had violated the state finance law. The audit found that the Lottery circumvented the state's budget impasse by prepaying $20 million to take part in future multi-state lottery games, such as Powerball and Mega Millions. State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said he wants either Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Mad
Jun 12, 2016, 8:45 am - Todd - Lottery News