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New law allows online sale of Virginia lottery ticketsNews Story
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed a bill into law that permits the online sale of state lottery tickets, which the fiscal estimate suggests could generate $12 million in annual state revenue. A person will be permitted to purchase the tickets through a computer, a smartphone or other electronic devices when the Virginia Lottery gets the new method of sales up and running. The $12 million estimate, however, assumes the new sales will not affect sales in traditional lottery locations. T
Mar 6, 2020, 2:21 pm - Lottery News

California man pleads guilty to Latina grandmothers lottery scamNews Story
A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge for targeting Latina grandmothers in Long Beach and throughout Southern California in a scam involving a fake winning lottery ticket. Tito Lozada, 50, faces sentencing May 11 on a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Two of three additional defendants previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and are awaiting sentencing in Los Angeles federal court. L
Feb 25, 2020, 1:39 pm - Lottery News

Lottery industry facing new threat in 'skill' gamesNews Story
State lotteries are grappling with the rapid spread of unregulated skill gaming machines, which are found in convenience stores, bars, restaurants and taverns across the country. While these machines have existed for some time, their manufacturers and operators have become increasingly aggressive in their roll out strategy, placing these machines in the front of stores and even replacing lottery self-service terminals with them. Individual lotteries predict these machines could reduce their r
Feb 19, 2020, 9:34 am - Lottery News

WVa board admonishes former lottery director for moonlightingNews Story
A state board that oversees lawyers in West Virginia admonished one of the governor's former cabinet secretaries for moonlighting at his old law firm while serving as the Lottery Director, defying state law. The Lawyer Disciplinary Board found no evidence that former Lottery Director Alan Larrick used state resources in his private practice or leveraged his state job to benefit his legal clients. However, the board found Larrick knowingly continued to engage in the practice of law while se
Dec 16, 2019, 8:19 am - Lottery News

Questions surround D.C. lottery and gambling contract, but high-level D.C. staffer says it's fineNews Story
Several D.C. Council members are asking whether the $215 million lottery and sports gambling contract the council approved this summer fulfills local business subcontracting requirements. This week, they got an answer from a high-level District staffer: Everything's fine. Yes, the contract is compliant with D.C. law requiring companies with large public contracts to subcontract some of the work to local businesses, Kristi Whitfield, director of the department responsible for monitoring compl
Sep 18, 2019, 9:54 am - Lottery News

Massachusetts man pleads guilty in lottery tax fraud schemeNews Story
A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in a scheme to buy millions of dollars' worth of winning Massachusetts State Lottery tickets at a discount to help the ticket holders avoid taxes, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Clarance Jones, 80, of Lynn, Massachusetts, was arrested last fall and charged with tax fraud and filing false tax returns. Law enforcement authorities alleged he used a 10-percenting ploy to become the nation's top lottery winner. Under th
May 22, 2019, 6:25 pm - Lottery News

Florida Lottery winner of $1M among suspects rounded up in major drug bustNews Story
Just days before Mother's Day in 2018, a pregnant woman in Volusia County went to Tallahassee to smile for the Florida Lottery cameras. That woman, Karlee Harbst, had won $1 million in the $5,000,000 Gold Rush Doubler game. She was on what gamblers call a roll she had won $100 in the same scratch-off game just a week before. The wins capped a troubled past for the Florida woman who had already racked up a number of drug possession arrests, petit theft, contempt of court and driving with
May 20, 2019, 10:54 am - Lottery News

Virginia lottery jackpot winners can stay anonymous, starting in JulyNews Story
A new law passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by the Governor prohibits the Virginia Lottery from disclosing information about big jackpot winners. The bill was unanimously passed by the House, and it passed the Senate in a vote of 34 to 5. A similar bill was introduced by Senator Lionell Spruill, Sr. who represents part of Chesapeake. Governor Ralph Northam signed the bill into law on February 27. When the bill goes into effect this summer, the Virginia Lottery will not
Apr 5, 2019, 7:35 pm - Lottery News

WV Lottery not backing online gaming law this sessionNews Story
West Virginia Lottery officials will back two bills intended to increase revenue, but do not plan to pursue legalization of online gaming this session, Lottery Director John Myers told the House Finance Committee Friday. We certainly see the opportunity in iGaming, he said. We fully intend to come back with that at some point. Online gaming, or iGaming, can run the gamut from being able to able to buy tickets for Lottery drawings or scratch-off games online, to sports betting apps, to on
Jan 16, 2019, 1:02 pm - 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