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Texas lottery considers eliminating lotto ballsNews Story
The familiar white, numbered balls that have determined the winners of hundreds of millions of dollars in Texas lottery prizes may get bounced. The Texas Lottery Commission is taking a first, cautious step toward using a computer to replace the rubber balls used since the games began in 1992.It's early in the conceptual stage, but lottery officials have looked at computerized random number generator systems that, linked with animations, are used by a handful of lotteries to pick the winning nu
Sep 15, 2003, 4:16 am - Lottery News

Michigan Lottery Adds New GamesNews Story
Bettors will have more ways to gamble in Michigan next month, and they'll be able to do it in bars and restaurants across the state.State officials hope the new games, which include Club Keno and pull-tab games, will draw more money into state coffers as the struggle to balance the budget continues.The Michigan Lottery saw ticket sales increase 4.5 percent to $1.68 billion in the budget year that ended in September 2002, according to its most recent annual report.Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who prop
Sep 15, 2003, 3:53 am - Lottery News

B.C. man wants 10-year-old lottery ticket tested for his printsNews Story
A Vancouver man wants the courts to help him learn whether his fingerprints are on a decade-old $10 million lottery ticket.Michael Ufnal claims he's the rightful owner of a winning lottery ticket he says was cashed in by a neighbor. But he lost the proof more than 10 years ago. In an affidavit filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Ufnal says that in May of 1992 he bought a lottery ticket at a convenience store and put it in his wallet. Then he lost the wallet.In the court documents, Ufnal claims he la
Sep 12, 2003, 9:49 pm - Lottery News

Minn. Lottery cuts staff, advertising, promotions despite record salesNews Story
The Minnesota Lottery will lay off 34 employees, nearly one-fifth of its workforce of 191, next month to meet state-imposed budget cuts. But the state-run gambling operation still projects a near-record year for sales because of changes in its popular multimillion-dollar Powerball game.Most of the job cuts will come from the lottery's marketing staff, including 16 positions in field offices in Eagan, Brainerd, Detroit Lakes, Marshall, Owatonna and Virginia, assistant director Geno Fragnito said
Sep 12, 2003, 9:46 pm - Lottery News

Holmes to propose Alabama lottery billNews Story
Alabama State Rep. Alvin Holmes said Wednesday he will introduce a bill to set up a state lottery during a special session of the Legislature that begins Monday. The Legislature is going into session at 12 (noon). At 12:15, I'm introducing the lottery bill. Holmes said the proceeds would be split evenly between the General Fund and the Education Trust Fund.Gov. Bob Riley's press secretary, David Azbell, said the governor is opposed to a lottery. At the most, a lottery would be projected to bring
Sep 12, 2003, 3:53 am - Lottery News

Bredesen defends state lottery CEO's annual pay packageNews Story
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday that Rebecca Paul's potential $752,000 annual salary package involves a much more businesslike arrangement than a similar amount paid to former University of Tennessee President John Shumaker. I don't think that's legitimate at all, said the governor when asked at a brief news conference if it was fair to compare the two pay packages. I think there's much more accountability in this process, Bredesen said. For example, Rebecca Paul has a job now th
Sep 12, 2003, 3:32 am - Lottery News

Treasurer eyes tax-evading Lottery winnersNews Story
Massachusetts State Treasurer Tim Cahill plans to tighten Lottery regulations following an audit report issued Wednesday that shows winners often employ suspicious ticket cashing methods to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes.''As a result, millions of dollars in taxes were evaded, lost and not reported that could have been used for much-needed state and municipal programs,'' state Auditor Joseph DeNucci said in his report.DeNucci conducted the ''transition audit'' at the request of Cahill
Sep 11, 2003, 4:27 am - Lottery News

Minorities get lottery pitchNews Story
Sherry Nelson, owner of Sherry's Unique Boutique, didn't know if a hair salon could sell lottery tickets, but figured it was worth asking.So Nelson, 39, squeezed into a standing-room-only crowd of women and minority business owners Wednesday to hear new Tennessee Education Lottery chief executive officer Rebecca Paul.Paul's answer was a resounding yes. It was resounding not so much because of what Nelson does for a living, but what she is - an African-American business owner. One of the places w
Sep 11, 2003, 4:20 am - Lottery News

Merchants show strong interest in Tenn. lotteryNews Story
To date, around 2,500 merchants representing as many as 2,900 Tennessee retail outlets have expressed an interest in selling lottery tickets next year, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. said Tuesday.The goal is 3,500 retail locations.Will Pinkston, speaking on behalf of the state lottery corporation, said advertisements have been placed in every newspaper in the state, inviting interested retailers to be on the mailing list for applications to sell tickets. Right now there
Sep 10, 2003, 6:11 pm - Lottery News

Lottery chief says games will rarely be closed to publicNews Story
Tennessee's new lottery chief cites three situations where operations of the games would be closed to public scrutiny - for recruiting employees, negotiating vendor contracts and discussing security issues. Rebecca Paul, who was chosen this week as CEO to lead startup of the Tennessee games, says those are issues that must be discussed behind closed doors - and happen primarily during the first year of a new lottery. Paul is expected to officially join the Tennessee games by Oct. 1 after 10 year
Sep 10, 2003, 6:09 pm - Lottery News