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Lottery funds misusedNews Story
Records show proceeds spent in ways not endorsed by votersA multimillion-dollar state lottery fund that is supposed to pay for parks and recreation is being used for everything from cellphone bills to air conditioners and Christmas parades.The Conservation Trust Fund is a $43 million pool of lottery profits that, according to state law, is to be given to local governments and used only for the acquisition, development and maintenance of new conservation sites or for capital improvements or main
Nov 10, 2003, 5:02 am - Lottery News

Indiana scores Powerball 3-peatNews Story
State is 1st to have 3 consecutive winners 3 times, officials of multistate game sayThe mystery of the state's nickname Hoosier was surely solved Thursday: It must mean lucky. The announcement of Powerball's third consecutive winning ticket makes Indiana the only state to sell three in a row an unparalleled three times.No one had claimed the $12.8 million jackpot by 5 p.m. Thursday, when the Hoosier Lottery office closed. The earlier back-to-back wins were in October and included Regina Manda
Nov 7, 2003, 4:49 am - Lottery News

Savannah Couple Wins $50 MillionNews Story
All of us have probably dreamed of winning the lottery. You have a 1 in 135 million chance in winning the big Mega Millions jackpot. But somebody's got to win it, like Richard and Robin Mika of Savannah. They won the Mega Millions jackpot this summer: $50 million. I bought a carton of cigarettes, there was $4 left, so I bought four tickets, recalled Richard. He bought those tickets at the 7-11 on Derenne Avenue and later that day found out he was the sole winner of the jackpot. What would d
Nov 6, 2003, 5:03 am - Lottery News

Lottery winner imprisoned for buying tickets with drug moneyNews Story
A $12 million Texas lottery winner who bought his lucky ticket with drug proceeds got two strikes today: a 24-year federal prison sentence and an order to return the money.A federal judge sentenced Jose Luis Betancourt, 52, who was convicted by a jury in June of conspiracy and two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The jury in a second verdict said Betancourt should forfeit his lottery jackpot because the ticket was purchased with drug proceeds.Betancourt had been traffickin
Nov 5, 2003, 5:34 am - Lottery News

New Day, New Perspective for Winner of $175,000 Mega Millions PrizeNews Story
On Thursday, John Ferguson of Curlew, Washington was concerned about car payments, property taxes, and where he would find his next job.Oh, what a difference a day makes!Friday, Ferguson redeemed his winning Mega Millions ticket at the Washington Lottery's Spokane Office for his $175,000 prize and is planning visits to see his grandchildren in Alaska and California.Ferguson is the Washington Lottery's newest big Mega Millions winner. He won with a ticket for last Tuesday's drawing that he purch
Nov 4, 2003, 5:03 am - Lottery News

Man gives kids $6M lotto prizeNews Story
Hector Rivera played the New Jersey Lottery for 20 years, promising any jackpot he won would go to his five children.Like most people who talk about winning a multimillion-dollar jackpot, Rivera was dismissed by his children as a dreamer. Nobody ever thought anything about it, said Michael Cioffi, Rivera's oldest son. We just thought he had a lot of fun dreaming about winning some day. Rivera's dream came true Oct. 13, when the Vineland man was the only winner to hit a $6.1 million Pick 6 jack
Nov 4, 2003, 4:50 am - Lottery News

Lottery officials hope pull tabs pull in $20 million a yearNews Story
Iowa is turning to a new gambling source in hopes of pulling in $20 million a year in additional revenue.Iowa Lottery officials are installing about 4,000 high-tech video pull-tab machines in taverns, restaurants and fraternal clubs.The equipment, featuring cheery music and colorful video monitors, has been a big hit during a market test in 10 Iowa communities. Revenues averaged $900 to $1,000 weekly per machine, demonstrating a potential to increase lottery profits.The Iowa Lottery made $48 mil
Nov 3, 2003, 6:39 am - Lottery News

Bloomington couple claims Powerball jackpotNews Story
A Bloomington, Indiana couple on Friday claimed about $5.2 million in cash with the second winning Powerball ticket sold in Indiana in less than a week.Jon and Louanne Lashbrook matched all the winning numbers for Wednesday's Powerball drawing, Hoosier Lottery officials said.The jackpot was $10 million, but the Lashbrooks decided to take the one-time cash payment.Jon Lashbrook is a systems analyst for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. His wife, Louanne, is a deputy treasurer for M
Nov 1, 2003, 11:57 am - Lottery News

Illinois Store Sells Winning $5 Million Lottery TicketNews Story
One very lucky person who visited the Huck's convenience store in Murphysboro, Illinois this Wednesday is holding a winning lottery ticket worth up to $5 million.The winning ticket was purchased at 10:13 a.m. Wednesday at the store located at the corner of Walnut and South 20th streets. The numbers on the ticket are 2, 18, 20, 23, 30 and 39.The ticket holder had not yet stepped forward Thursday, but a spokeswoman for the Illinois Lottery in Springfield offered a strong piece of advice for the wi
Oct 31, 2003, 1:00 pm - Lottery News

Researchers: Most lottery winners stay on the jobNews Story
Richard Arvey is not surprised to hear that 16 Powerball winners say they plan to remain in their jobs in a public school cafeteria.It's common for lottery winners to continue working, according to a soon-to-be published study by Arvey, a University of Minnesota organizational psychologist, and colleagues at Rutgers University and the University of Haifa in Israel. The decision to stay on the job is influenced by the amount won and how important work is in a winner's life, he said.Whether you're
Oct 31, 2003, 5:01 am - Lottery News