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Mississippi panel studying other state lotteriesNews Story
A special House panel has been looking at other states' experience with lotteries as it works on a study requested by House Speaker Philip Gunn, who opposes a lottery for Mississippi but says he wants the issue thoroughly vetted. Members of the House Lottery Study Working Group comprised of lawmakers, state gaming and other officials held their second of three meetings at the Capitol on Tuesday. The first meeting in May was described as lottery 101, on the history of, laws and facts about lot
Sep 6, 2017, 8:10 am - Lottery News

NJ lawmaker files bill to block new keno gameNews Story
A new keno being offered by the New Jersey Lottery Commission essentially expands casino-style gaming outside the resort, according to legislation introduced by Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic. In the proposed legislation, Mazzeo seeks to block the state lottery from introducing Quick Draw, a keno-style game for the lottery. Earlier this month the state lottery announced 400 locations across the state will soon offer the game. The State Lottery is grossly overstepping their authority
Aug 1, 2017, 7:58 am - Lottery News

State lotteries losing revenue to 'jackpot fatigue' and casinosNews Story
The biggest loser in the lottery game? Increasingly, it's the states that rely on lottery revenue, as fewer people are buying tickets of chance. In 22 of the 44 states with lotteries, revenue declined between 2014 and 2015, the most recent year for comprehensive data, the Pew Charitable Trusts reported Thursday. Twenty-one states experienced declines from 2013 to 2014. In 2016, lottery revenue fell 3.3% in Missouri, more recent data shows, while it fell 3.2% in Rhode Island and 2.6% in Wes
Jul 14, 2017, 11:02 am - Lottery News

Mississippi lottery panel visits neighboring states to garner informationNews Story
Trips to neighboring states to observe their lottery operations have shed light on the types of decisions that must be made should Mississippi opt to enact a lottery, two Northeast Mississippi legislators recently said. Reps. Mac Huddleston, R-Pontotoc, and Nick Bain, D-Corinth, made trips to Little Rock last week as members of a task force created by House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, to study the issues surrounding the lottery. Other members of the committee made a similar trip to Baton
Jun 25, 2017, 9:55 am - Lottery News

Pa. seniors worry expanded gambling will hurt lottery proceedsNews Story
A bill passed in the Pennsylvania House would allow casino-style gambling in airports, veterans halls, and truck stops. Now, seniors are worried if it were to become law, that less lottery money would fund programs for the elderly. They are not the only ones who are concerned. There are 18,000 people in the state who are employed by casinos like Mohegan Sun in Plains Township. Opponents of the bill say those jobs could be cut if it were to become law. The bill to make electronic games o
Jun 22, 2017, 7:55 am - Lottery News

Woman sues casino that offered her steak dinner instead of $43 million jackpotNews Story
Katrina Bookman captured national attention last year when she played a Sphinx Slot Machine at Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York, and it appeared as though she'd won $43 million which would have been the largest jackpot ever won on the slots in U.S. history. She excitedly snapped a selfie with the screen, believing her life was forever changed. But when Bookman came to collect her prize, a casino worker told her she hadn't actually won anything and offered her nothing but a complimenta
Jun 16, 2017, 6:45 pm - Lottery News

Mississippi lawmaker forms group to study why lottery would be bad for stateNews Story
Your tax dollars at work Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said weeks ago that he would form a group to study the pros and cons of starting a state lottery. As the group met for the first time Wednesday, Gunn repeated his opposition to the game of chance. I do not believe a lottery is based on sound economic policy, and it violates a number of conservative, Republican principles, Gunn, a Republican who is also a leader in his local Baptist church, said in a news release. The purpo
May 4, 2017, 8:12 am - Lottery News

College students audition to become a Lottery announcerNews Story
Nine students from several Rhode Island colleges gathered at Twin River Casino Wednesday night to audition for jobs reading the Daily Numbers and Wild Money numbers for the Rhode Island Lottery. Although the Lottery numbers are broadcast on Channel 12, they're read inside a small glass-enclosed studio at Twin River, just off a busy casino floor. It's one thing to practice in front of a mirror and it's another to be in front of a real camera, said Jahnna Burke, a 21-year-old URI student wh
Apr 27, 2017, 3:12 pm - Lottery News

Pennsylvania eyes leap to internet for casinos, lotteryNews Story
Facing huge deficits, Pennsylvania could become the first state to allow both its casinos and lottery to take its games online in a quest for money from new and younger players. The state government has a slew of fiscal challenges, made worse by sluggish tax collections and one of the nation's oldest average populations. A Republican-controlled Legislature trying to avoid a broad tax increase under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has instead turned over other rocks in search of alternatives. Ther
Apr 24, 2017, 9:15 am - Lottery News

Bill allowing Oklahoma Lottery to increase prizes heads to the Senate floorNews Story
A bill moving through the Oklahoma statehouse would allow the state's lottery to increase prizes in hopes of generating more dollars for schools and boost the payout to education by about $100 million over the next five years. For years, lottery officials have asked lawmakers to let them plug more dollars into prizes in hopes it would increase participation and add more money to educational coffers. And for years, lawmakers balked. But this year, faced with a huge budget hole, lawmakers
Apr 17, 2017, 11:18 am - Lottery News