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Pennsylvania House passes bill giving Lottery odds and prize flexibilityNews Story
The Pennsylvania House has voted 195-1 to send to Gov. Tom Corbett a bill that Pennsylvania Lottery officials say will give them more flexibility in setting player odds and prizes, increasing sales in the long run. But that flexibility is paired in the bill with a new requirement that the General Assembly have final approval over any Lottery plans to add new game categories like Keno or Internet-based games. The latter clause, added by the state Senate earlier this fall, was a response to
Oct 22, 2014, 8:09 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery Director joins Lottery Industry Hall of FameNews Story
Public Gaming Research Institute has inducted Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery, to its Lottery Industry Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place at the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries conference in Atlantic City. I want to congratulate Executive Director Grief for his much-deserved honor, said J. Winston Krause, chairman of the Texas Lottery Commission. Gary's knowledge, experience and leadership are key elements to the continued success
Oct 8, 2014, 4:25 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery recoups $1M in unpaid taxes, child supportNews Story
In its five years of operation, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has raised nearly a half-billion dollars in scholarships to help 135,000 Arkansas students attend in-state public and private colleges and universities. But thanks to an often-forgotten provision of the Arkansas Code, the Lottery has also benefited state operations by recouping nearly $1 million in unpaid taxes and child support payments. The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Act of 2009 requires the Lottery to cooperate in identifyi
Sep 3, 2014, 8:37 am - Lottery News

Illinois to fire private lottery operatorNews Story
The bumpy marriage between the state and the private company that operates the Illinois Lottery is ending in a divorce. Gov. Pat Quinn's office confirmed to me today that it is ending its contract with Northstar Lottery Group LLC to operate the $2 billion-a-year lottery system, seven years earlier than scheduled. It is not yet certain whether the separation will be voluntary by both parties, but a decision to end the contract has been made. The governor's office has directed the lotter
Aug 23, 2014, 10:20 pm - Lottery News

Missouri Gov. orders review of Lottery operationsNews Story
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has asked the state Office of Administration to carry out a comprehensive review of the Missouri Lottery's operations. The lottery posted more than $1.14 billion in sales last year, according to unaudited figures, but its $267.3 million profit (which goes to education funding) was $31 million short of its goal and was below 2006 totals when adjusted for inflation. The governor cited declining lottery and casino revenue in his decision to withhold $35 million of educ
Jul 24, 2014, 10:13 am - Lottery News

N.C. school construction lottery money doesn't really build schoolsNews Story
Includes video report Where does the North Carolina Education Lottery money go? You know, you buy a ticket, you put money into the education lottery, and you think all that money goes to North Carolina schools. But that is not quite how it works. Of every dollar, 61% goes back into the lottery for prizes, 28% goes to education, and 11% go back to retailers and the lottery for administration. Of that 28 percent for schools, the Education Lottery website says 45.8% goes to teacher pay, 20
Jul 10, 2014, 8:50 am - Lottery News

Keno opens a new fight over Arkansas lotteryNews Story
Arkansas lottery officials won't just be making the case for why they should be allowed to expand their games to include offerings such as keno when the Legislature meets next year. They'll also be making the case for not completely overhauling their structure. Legislation approved in a special session last week that bars the lottery from launching monitor games such as keno until March 13, 2015, ensures that the issue will be at the top of the agenda when lawmakers convene for next year's se
Jul 8, 2014, 8:06 am - Lottery News

NJ court rules against union's effort to stop state lottery privatizationNews Story
A state appeals court last week ruled against a public workers union in its effort to stop New Jersey from privatizing parts of the state lottery. Despite months of objections from Democratic lawmakers and union leaders, the state announced last June that it signed a 15-year contract for a private company, Northstar New Jersey, to manage the sales and marketing branches of the lottery. Gov. Chris Christie's administration said the move will bring New Jersey a surge in revenue. But the Comm
Jul 8, 2014, 7:27 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Legislature passes lottery bill scrapping online scratch-off gamesNews Story
Gov. unsure if he will sign bill Both the Minnesota House and Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved restrictions on online sales of state lottery tickets. The bill now goes to Gov. Mark Dayton, who has said he hasn't decided whether he'll sign it. Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, called implementation of the new electronic games overreach by the administration. Politically, we pinned their ears back, said Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston. The lottery needs to have some controls, some
May 17, 2014, 11:08 am - Lottery News

Illinois legislator urges Gov. to fire company running the lotteryNews Story
Northstar disagrees, says revenue targets met Citing nearly three years of lackluster performance, an Illinois state lawmaker is urging Governor Pat Quinn to fire the company his administration hired to run the Illinois Lottery. State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said the state's contract with Northstar Lottery Group has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions in lost revenues due to the firm's failure to meet revenue goals. The privatization of the Illinois State Lottery has been nothing
May 15, 2014, 12:13 pm - Lottery News