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Federal officials work to extradite Jamaican lottery scammersNews Story
Jamaican lottery scammer Sanjay Williams got off a plane in Charlotte, North Carolina, in June 2013, on his way to meet with the people who moved money for him. He was promptly arrested by U.S. law enforcement authorities, convicted in May and sentenced to 20 years in a U.S. prison. While the arrest on American soil spared authorities from extraditing Williams, rounding up his associate in the wide-ranging operation and 13 other suspects still believed to be in Jamaica is proving to be more o
Dec 26, 2015, 1:27 pm - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery director resigns after timeshare inquiryNews Story
Minnesota State Lottery director Ed Van Petten abruptly resigned Friday, coming after an inquiry found that taxpayers have reimbursed the director for staying in his own timeshare unit when traveling. This morning, I met with Minnesota Lottery Director Ed Van Petten, said Gov. Mark Dayton's chief of staff Jaime Tincher. During that meeting, Mr. Van Petten offered his resignation. I accepted his resignation. We will immediately begin a search for his replacement. Van Petten had been reimb
Dec 18, 2015, 6:02 pm - Lottery News

Records show alcohol-related misconduct by former MN Lottery officialNews Story
The former acting director of the Minnesota State Lottery was so drunk at conferences in Las Vegas, New York City, Miami and Indianapolis that she was suspended by Gov. Mark Dayton's chief of staff, according to records released Wednesday by the lottery. Johnene Canfield was eventually fired earlier this year and is now suing the state for discrimination, saying her gender and disability from alcohol dependency led to her dismissal. She was terminated after a December 2014 incident in whic
Nov 7, 2015, 8:03 am - Lottery News

Ex-Minnesota Lottery executive pleads guilty in car-crash caseNews Story
A former top Minnesota Lottery official suing over her termination pleaded guilty Monday to a drunken-driving charge stemming from a serious car crash last December. Johnene Canfield pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to gross a misdemeanor charge of failing to submit to a chemical test. She paid a $715 fine, agreed to 30 days in an out-of-custody sentence-to-service program and committed to perform 100 hours of additional community service. Additional penalties were stayed pendin
Oct 27, 2015, 9:18 am - Lottery News

Fired Minnesota Lottery executive sues for her job backNews Story
A former senior executive at the Minnesota State Lottery who was fired amid a bout with alcohol abuse is suing her ex-boss and the state on claims she was discriminated against because of her gender and her chemical dependency. Johnene Canfield filed a lawsuit Friday in Ramsey County District Court that seeks reinstatement to the $100,000-a-year assistant lottery director post. She is also seeking damages for lost wages and emotional distress since being put on leave in December following her
Oct 7, 2015, 4:10 pm - Lottery News

Bill would allow Florida Lottery tickets to be sold onlineNews Story
Capitalizing on a recent change in federal law, legislation has been filed to allow the Florida Lottery to sell tickets online. The bill, SB 270 by Sen. Gwen Margolis (D-Miami Beach), is aimed at broadening the Lottery's revenue base to include out-of-state customers and occasional players who might be enticed to play more frequently if online tickets were an option. Last year, the Lottery posted a record $5.5 billion in sales. Several states have have already taken advantage of the federa
Sep 16, 2015, 8:06 am - Lottery News

Minnesota retiree scores his second big payout in 2015News Story
Turns out, when it comes to beating long odds, Jeffrey Bock has just the right touch. For the second time this year, the 65-year-old St. Paul retiree has struck lottery gold, with his latest odds-defying reward proving even more lucrative than the first. Bock scored a $100,000 top prize payout by matching all 12 numbers in Sunday's All or Nothing drawing, Minnesota Lottery officials said Tuesday. About eight months ago, Bock won $20,000 with a $2 scratch-off ticket. After Sunday's dr
Sep 2, 2015, 8:27 am - Lottery News

Internet sales of Minnesota lottery tickets coming to haltNews Story
Minnesota's lottery is primed to pull the plug on ticket sales over the Internet. In a series of steps beginning Friday, the lottery will stop selling Mega Millions, Hot Lotto, Gopher 5, Powerball and instant-win tickets online. When the instant-win games launched in early 2014, Minnesota became the first state to give the scratch-off franchise a virtual option. But state lawmakers were instantly uncomfortable and passed a law this spring that forced the lottery to stop those sales. The lo
Aug 28, 2015, 8:17 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery to change policy after 6 major unclaimed prizes this yearNews Story
Officials with the Minnesota State Lottery said Wednesday they are changing their policy on information for winning lottery tickets after as many as six major prizes this year have gone unclaimed. Lottery officials said, effective immediately, they will disclose the name, address and city of the business where a winning lottery ticket is sold. In the past, the lottery has only released the county in which the ticket was sold. The new policy applies to six unclaimed prizes that amount to a
Jul 2, 2015, 8:46 am - Lottery News

Illinois lottery ticket wins $260M Mega Millions jackpotNews Story
By Todd Northrop One lucky Illinois lottery player is a whole lot happier today, after they won a Mega Millions jackpot worth an estimated $260 million Tuesday night. It's the fourth time the Mega Millions jackpot has been won this year. Another Illinois player took home $265 million on January 16, and New Yorkers claimed back-to-back jackpots on February 27 ($127 million) and March 24 ($59 million). Last night's jackpot win is the second-largest prize in Illinois Lottery history, and t
Jun 3, 2015, 7:28 am - Lottery News