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Virginia Lottery March profits took a big hitNews Story
The Virginia Lottery is still running during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its March profits dropped 28 percent, according to a new agency report. The Lottery took in $48 million in profits for March, down more than a quarter compared to the same month last year. Though Gov. Ralph Northam has shut down virtually all types of indoor entertainment including the Rosie's gambling facilities operated by Colonial Downs he has not ordered the Lottery, a state agency, to stop selling tickets. Most Lo
Apr 22, 2020, 6:45 pm - Lottery News

Strong Iowa lottery sales are slipping: The culprit? You guessed it, COVID-19News Story
After eight months of Iowa Lottery ticket sales topping budgeted projections, those sales are starting to arc downward. One of the reasons: 95 of the retail outlets selling lottery tickets are shuttered under Gov. Kim Reynolds' COVID-19 orders, Iowa Lottery officials said Wednesday. Through the first three quarters of fiscal 2020, lottery sales were running 1.8 percent ahead of last year's record pace. However, sales of lottery products in March were about $2 million short of the budgeted
Apr 21, 2020, 8:21 am - Lottery News

Coronavirus has brought casino industry 'to a near standstill'News Story
The Covid-19 coronavirus has effectively quarantined the nation's gaming industry. More than three dozen states with commercial casinos or Indian gaming facilities have taken actions to suspend casino operations, enacted limitations that led to a shutdown, or have seen gaming companies and tribal leaders independently close their properties. By late Tuesday, MGM Resorts International one of the nation's leading gaming companies will no longer have a casino property in operation in the U.S.
Mar 21, 2020, 11:01 am - Lottery News

Mississippi Lottery hits the Web and social mediaNews Story
The Mississippi Lottery Corporation (MLC) has unveiled a new look for its website and officially introduced its brand on social media in advance of its anticipated launch of scratch-off tickets by December 1. The MLC website, www.mslotteryhome.com, premiered this week sporting what the lottery calls a fun, new look. We have a website visually appealing and easy for our players to use, said MLC President Tom Shaheen. The product you see today is the result of a great deal of research and
Oct 10, 2019, 8:29 am - Lottery News

New lottery agreement with private operator Northstar expected to save NJ up to $100MNews Story
New Jersey government officials have renegotiated a contract with the private operator of the New Jersey Lottery that is expected to save taxpayers up to $100 million over the next decade. The new agreement raises the performance targets for Northstar New Jersey, a gaming conglomerate which has struggled to meet its financial promises to the state while also reaping tens of millions of dollars each year in incentives and fees. It had promised to generate at least $1.4 billion for the state ov
May 14, 2019, 11:38 am - Lottery News

Audit of California Lottery finds over $305,000 in improper or dubious spendingNews Story
California Lottery officials tallied more than $305,000 in improper or questionable spending over the last four years that included travel, food, gifts to employees and entertainment expenses, a state audit concluded Tuesday. Among the improper expenses, the lottery agency spent $21,666 to give staff logo-branded swag such as T-shirts, backpacks, lip balm and iPad cases, labeling the purchases learning aids and training tools, according to the audit by state Controller Betty Yee. The finan
Apr 11, 2019, 9:32 am - Lottery News

DOJ reverses 2011 opinion of the Wire Act; legal online gaming in questionNews Story
The U.S. Department of Justice's legal counsel office reversed a 2011 opinion that the Federal Wire Act applies only to sports betting, potentially throwing the small U.S. Internet gaming market into question. A 23-page opinion is dated Nov. 2, 2018 but became public Monday. Justice Department attorneys said they have, Based on the plain language of the issue, we reach a different result from the 2011 opinion of the 1961 Act. While the Wire Act is not a model of artful drafting, we conclu
Jan 14, 2019, 8:15 pm - Lottery News

Michigan lawmaker pushes bill to deduct cash from paycheck for lotto gameNews Story
So you want to gamble, but can't seem to put aside enough money to buy a lottery ticket? State Rep. Beau LaFave (R-Iron Mountain) has a solution that could help you place that losing bet you thought you couldn't afford. While his fellow GOP lawmakers look for more traditional methods of cutting entitlements in order to bring down government spending, LaFave is introducing a somewhat radical bill that would authorize employers to withhold a portion of their wages for the purpose of investin
Dec 12, 2018, 9:40 am - Lottery News

Massachusetts official warns lottery could become "irrelevant"News Story
With time running out again on a bill that would authorize the Massachusetts Lottery to move online, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg offered a message to business leaders Wednesday morning: We don't want to go the way of Toys R Us. The massive toy store chain announced plans to shut down its operations on March 15 and is now running liquidation sales across its more than 800 locations. Goldberg, whose office oversees the Lottery, said Toys R Us was very late to the game to beginning to sell the
Jun 13, 2018, 10:01 pm - Lottery News

Pa. Lottery's new keno game gets a lot of playNews Story
The Pennsylvania Lottery's new keno game tickets have been selling like gangbusters since debuting at the beginning of the month, lottery spokesman Gary Miller said. Since May 1, the lottery took in $2.7 million in keno sales and players have already won more than $1.8 million in prizes, Miller said. About 9,400 retailers statewide sell keno tickets. About 900 bars and restaurants have big screen monitors to play the keno game and that number continues to grow every day, he said. The gamin
May 26, 2018, 6:44 am - Lottery News