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Lottery rigging scandal prompts security audit in South DakotaNews Story
The scandal unfolding in Iowa, where software allowed some results to be rigged in multi-state lotto drawings, has added to concerns among South Dakota Lottery officials, spurring them to proceed Thursday in requesting proposals for a security review of South Dakota Lottery facilities. The review also would cover the statewide video-lottery system and the statewide lotto jackpot system. Each separately connects with hundreds of private businesses. The scratch-ticket system also would be
Apr 13, 2016, 7:22 pm - Lottery News

Virginia becomes first state to formally legalize daily fantasy sportsNews Story
Virginia Monday signed into law the Fantasy Contests Act, a bill outlining how daily fantasy sport sites like DraftKings and FanDuel can operate legally in the state. The law is the nation's first formal recognition of the industry after months of heated legal activity in multiple states. Regulators and lawmakers around the country have sought bans on the websites on the grounds they constitute illegal online gambling. The Virginia legislature first approved the new bill in February. Governor
Mar 7, 2016, 9:24 pm - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery director resigns after timeshare inquiryNews Story
Minnesota State Lottery director Ed Van Petten abruptly resigned Friday, coming after an inquiry found that taxpayers have reimbursed the director for staying in his own timeshare unit when traveling. This morning, I met with Minnesota Lottery Director Ed Van Petten, said Gov. Mark Dayton's chief of staff Jaime Tincher. During that meeting, Mr. Van Petten offered his resignation. I accepted his resignation. We will immediately begin a search for his replacement. Van Petten had been reimb
Dec 18, 2015, 6:02 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery officials sign contract with Camelot for business planNews Story
Arkansas officials signed a contract Monday with lottery consultant Camelot Global Services, which will develop a business plan for the state lottery and help implement the plan, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration said. Lottery Director Bishop Woosley and finance department Director Larry Walther signed the contract, said spokesman Jake Bleed. Camelot has offices in Philadelphia and London. We are awaiting confirmation on their end that the contract has bee
Dec 1, 2015, 9:30 am - Lottery News

Wyoming Lottery earns high marks in audit of first yearNews Story
Independent auditors found no major financial issues with how the Wyoming Lottery operated during its first year of ticket sales. The board of directors of the Wyoming Lottery Corp. received results of the audit by Cheyenne-based McGee, Hearne Paiz during a meeting Monday. Board chairman Mark Macy said the lottery seemed to be right on track or at least not significantly off on how our operations were conducted. The audit noted a couple of minor accounting issues that lottery CEO Jon C
Nov 4, 2015, 9:05 am - Lottery News

NJ Lottery private operator on track to meet budget projectionsNews Story
Turnaround for Northstar after two years of missed targets Increased sales mean New Jersey's lottery contribution to the state budget is on track to meet its target for 2016 after falling short the first two years of a long-term contract with a private operator. The operator of the lottery's sales and marketing, Northstar New Jersey, is budgeted to return $1 billion to the state to help fund programs for education, disabled veterans and senior citizens. Through the first three months of th
Oct 16, 2015, 10:22 am - Lottery News

China reveals misuse of $2.7 billion in lottery fundsNews Story
China has uncovered widespread misappropriation of 16.9 billion yuan (US$2.72 billion) of funds from its state lottery program, underscoring the extent of official corruption as the country tries to root out graft. Funds were misappropriated through the buying and building of office buildings and hotels or embezzled, the National Audit Office said in a report on its website. The state auditor said the irregularities accounted for a quarter of the total of lottery funds received in its 2012
Jun 25, 2015, 8:12 am - Lottery News

IRS scammed with losing lottery ticketsNews Story
Here's one way to dodge the taxman buy thousands of losing lottery tickets. It's true. Gamblers have concocted a scheme to repurpose the dud ducats to offset their winnings. A winner can go online and get $5,000 worth of losing lottery tickets to cover their $5,000 in gambling winnings. The lottery tickets serve as a sort of security blanket if the auditor comes calling. Ads captured on Craigslist and eBay from Florida to California hawk the tickets so the potential lotto buyer can defraud
Apr 6, 2015, 4:54 pm - Lottery News

Dozens of 'dead people' collected NJ lottery prizes last yearNews Story
Nearly four dozen New Jersey lottery winners collected their prizes with false Social Security numbers belonging to dead people, according to an audit of the state lottery system. The audit also found that the lottery missed out on recovering $890,000 that winners owed in taxes and other obligations for the fiscal year that ended last June. The report, released Wednesday, said 680 people who won at least $600 presented potentially invalid IDs from July 2013 to July 2014. People are requ
Feb 19, 2015, 4:32 pm - Lottery News

Player sues Oregon Lottery, charging video poker game riggedNews Story
The Oregon State Lottery's rigged video poker games have cost players $134 million, a man claims in a class action lawsuit. Lead plaintiff Justin Curzi claims the video poker machines' auto-hold feature misleads players about how to increase their odds of winning a hand. The auto-hold feature recommends playing strategies, and allows players to automatically discard and draw new cards with a single button, according to the complaint. Thus, relying on the auto-hold feature is the easies
Jan 7, 2015, 6:21 pm - Lottery News