Search

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

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

Woman sues TN Lottery over 'toxic' workplace, harassmentNews Story
A former employee is suing the Tennessee Lottery in federal court, saying supervisors constantly sexually harassed her and then had her fired for complaining. Former District Manager Denise Armstrong filed the suit Wednesday in federal court in Nashville, seeking her job back, back pay and an injunction against further harassment. In her suit, she names several supervisors, including current Executive Vice President of Sales Sidney Chambers, as creating a work environment hostile to women bec
Jul 5, 2014, 2:21 pm - 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

Missouri couple claim $96.5M Powerball jackpotNews Story
A St. Charles, Missouri, man and his wife are living the dream that they never in a gazillion years expected to have, after they discovered their Powerball ticket from March 22 was worth $96.5 million. John Brands said he checked his Missouri Lottery tickets with the numbers on the Lottery's website the morning after the drawing, before heading out to play golf. When all six numbers matched, he went to wake his wife, Susan. I thought the house was on fire, she said. I thought he was messi
Mar 28, 2014, 11:40 pm - Lottery News

N.M. Lottery announces CEO finalistsNews Story
The New Mexico Lottery has announced four finalists for the chief executive officer's position, which became vacant in November the lottery's board of directors fired former CEO Tom Romero without explanation. Romero, who had been with the lottery since its inception in 1996, had an annual salary of $165,000. The seven-member, governor-appointed board will interview the finalists on Friday, said lottery spokeswoman Linda Hamlin. The finalists include the lottery's interim CEO, David M.
Feb 12, 2014, 8:04 am - Lottery News

Threat to boycott the UK National Lottery as tickets double to £2News Story
UK National Lottery bosses came under fire last night as Britons voiced their outrage at today's price rise. A poll carried out to coincide with the hike revealed 78 per cent of Lotto customers say the increase in price is unfair. The price of a ticket will double from today to 2 a line, prompting furious players to threaten to boycott the game. A survey of more than 1,500 people found 73 per cent of weekly players are either unhappy or very unhappy . It also found more than half of
Oct 3, 2013, 7:28 pm - Lottery News

Oklahoma Lottery wants ban on employee purchases liftedNews Story
The Oklahoma Lottery Commission wants to get a law changed to assist it with investigations. The agency wants to change a law that bans all of its employees from purchasing tickets, said Rollo Redburn, Oklahoma Lottery Commission executive director. It would be somebody in our security department who could purchase a ticket in the confines of an investigation, said Jay Finks, Oklahoma Lottery Commission director of marketing and administration. Currently, the agency sends out investiga
Sep 23, 2013, 7:51 am - Lottery News

Former Arkansas Lottery official admits stealing ticketsNews Story
A former Arkansas Lottery security official pleaded guilty Friday to a long-running scheme in which he's accused of stealing and cashing nearly a half-million dollars' worth of scratch-off tickets. Lottery Director Bishop Woosley said the theft by Remmele Mazyck, 34, started in 2009 when the lottery launched. It wasn't discovered until October 2012, when a clerk at a Jonesboro retailer raised questions about lottery tickets Mazyck tried to cash that were registered to a store no longer in bus
Jul 13, 2013, 7:26 am - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery bases advertising hire on diversityNews Story
More capable company doesn't get contract for nondiversity, despite having female CEO The Massachusetts Lottery's lucrative advertising contract, the source of the political downfall of former state Treasurer Tim Cahill, is again under fire after a marketing firm led by a prominent Boston businesswoman lost the bid under the state's diversity program. The Patrick administration is defending the award of the $5 million Lottery contract to Connelly Partners, which is not owned by a woman or
Jul 8, 2013, 8:55 am - Lottery News