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Taxpayers pay millions in bonuses to outgoing lottery firm's staffNews Story
Illinois taxpayers have funded about $2 million in retention bonuses for employees of a private firm managing the lottery despite the firm performing so poorly Illinois is working to replace it. A Tribune investigation has found the state approved paying bonuses as part of a complicated deal it struck in 2015 with the firm, Northstar Lottery Group. Northstar agreed to end its 10-year deal early if the state met a host of conditions, including paying Northstar disentanglement fees, which inclu
Mar 29, 2017, 9:21 am - Lottery News

Florida Lottery sued by House over contractNews Story
Just another political battle masquerading as a lawsuit? Florida's House of Representatives filed a lawsuit late Friday accusing the Florida Lottery of illegally signing a long-term contract for ticket sales, escalating a feud between House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Gov. Rick Scott a little more than a week before the legislative session begins. Corcoran's decision to file the lawsuit represents a head-on confrontation with an agency overseen by Scott. In response, the governor's office
Feb 22, 2017, 7:40 am - Lottery News

CT Lottery settles 5 Card Cash dispute with vendorNews Story
Will receive $300,000 from Scientific Games, not $4M sought The Connecticut Lottery Corp. has agreed to settle for a fraction of the nearly $4.2 million it had claimed that Scientific Games, the international gambling giant, lost in last year's hacking of the popular 5 Card Cash instant game. Frank Farricker, acting president of the lottery, said Monday that Scientific Games will provide about $300,000 to develop a new, more-secure operating system. The Las Vegas-based company has also agr
Nov 29, 2016, 2:03 pm - Lottery News

Update: Players sue Delaware Lottery for $2M over disputed Keno ticketsNews Story
Two Delaware men are claiming they haven't seen a penny of the $2 million they say the state lottery owes them after a computer glitch spewed out multiple matching numbers. John Brookings Jr. and Richard Spence played Keno a bingo-style lottery game in which players can win based on how many numbers they match and how much they wager at a retailer in New Castle County last December, according to the lawsuit. (See Keno players cash in on lottery glitch in Delaware, Lottery Post, Dec. 24, 20
Nov 29, 2016, 1:08 pm - Lottery News

Illinois woman loses out on $50K lottery ticket after buying it with drug moneyNews Story
A woman who lived with a Decatur drug dealer ended up losing big time when she took a judicial gamble on winning back the proceeds of a $50,000 lottery ticket. The state of Illinois had initially seized the money as the ill-gotten gains of a ticket bought with drug money. But then a Macon County judge later ruled against the state and awarded the lottery cash to the woman, Tykisha Lofton. Now, in a decision filed Sept. 27, the three-judge Fourth District Appeals Court ruled unanimously to
Oct 7, 2016, 7:03 am - Lottery News

Raised hackles and shears over a lottery card mix-upNews Story
The old man shuffled along West 10th Street on Thursday toward the police station in Manhattan. He has lived next door for decades. He had a question. He paused before the decorative iron fence marked 6th PCT, and the plaque naming its donors: The Camacho Family. That was his extended family, with whom the man, Jose Cardoso, has lived on the block since the 1950s. He entered the police precinct house, walking past uniformed officers, sticking his head into a detective's office and shouting
Sep 12, 2016, 8:57 am - Lottery News

Alabama lottery vote manuevering fractures Republican caucusNews Story
Two senators have resigned from the Senate Republican Caucus in the wake of last week's vote to approve a statewide lottery, citing policy differences and claiming senate leaders violated their own rules in an effort to muscle the bill through. The bill, which was approved by a margin of 21-12, would send $100 million of lottery revenue each year to Medicaid, which is facing a $70 million shortfall this year, with the rest going to the General Fund. The bill endured a filibuster on the sen
Aug 24, 2016, 10:18 am - Lottery News

CT Lottery aware of security problems before shutting down gameNews Story
Months before Connecticut Lottery's 5 Card Cash game was suspended, lottery officials knew there was a security issue that eventually allowed the game to be rigged, according to a four-month investigation. 5 Card Cash, a combination instant-win/evening-draw game, was suspended on November 14, 2015 after it was discovered that retailers were using a flaw in the computer system to rig the game to buy only winning tickets. The problem was the printer, say state investigators. If retailers ordere
Jul 7, 2016, 9:01 pm - Lottery News

Audit: Illinois Lottery broke law to get around budget impasseNews Story
Eleven months ago, just as the state budget impasse was about to take hold, the Illinois Lottery violated state finance law by prepaying $20 million to take part in future multi-state lottery games, according to an Auditor General's report. Lottery officials made the prepayment because they were worried that a budget stalemate could prevent the state from participating in the Multi-State Lottery Association's future Powerball and Mega Millions games, according to the audit. The state's Lot
May 21, 2016, 5:14 pm - Lottery News

Australian man accuses fishing buddy of stealing $3.5M lottery ticketNews Story
A dispute between two former fishing buddies who destroyed their friendship over a missing lottery ticket claimed to be worth $3.5 million (US$2.7 million) has ended up in an Australian court. Preston man Ismet Porcic claims he bought and subsequently lost a winning Tattslotto ticket from an Essendon newsagent in September 2014 that ended up winning a one-sixth share of the $21 million (US$16.2 million) division one prize pool. Mr. Porcic has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against
Apr 14, 2016, 12:44 pm - Lottery News