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Illinois Lottery private manager still on job after firingNews Story
Finding a new lottery manager proves tricky for state government When Illinois lawmakers voted in 2009 to hire a private company to run the state's $2 billion-a-year lottery, they had high hopes of making more money that could be funneled into education and construction projects. Then the company missed sales goals, and two governors tried to fire Northstar Lottery Group. But Northstar remains on the job more than two years later, and the firm is now able to collect millions of dollars mor
Mar 28, 2017, 4:21 pm - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery's private manager faces 2nd lawsuit alleging fraudNews Story
A second lawsuit has been filed accusing the Illinois Lottery's private manager of defrauding players after an investigation found the lottery did not award many of the biggest prizes in its largest instant ticket games. The lawsuit was filed last week in Cook County Circuit Court by two people who describe themselves as longtime scratch-off players, and like the first one filed last month in downstate St. Clair County it seeks class-action status to cover all players who bought tickets for t
Mar 25, 2017, 3:34 pm - Lottery News

Russian slot machine hackers add new targets, group toldNews Story
Hackers breaking random number generators demonstrates how lottery industry's reliance upon computerized drawings is bad idea An international syndicate of Russian hackers that cashed out millions from slots in U.S. casinos over the years is focusing its efforts on South America and Europe after busts in Missouri and Singapore. The Russian syndicate most recently struck in Peru, a security consultant to slot-makers told a group of U.S. regulators at a Las Vegas conference Thursday at the L
Mar 21, 2017, 8:19 am - Lottery News

Lawsuit alleges Illinois lottery contractor cheated players, vendorsNews Story
A company hired to manage the Illinois Lottery cheated players and lottery vendors by misrepresenting the odds of winning scratch-off games, a class-action lawsuit in federal court alleges. The case, originally filed last month in St. Clair County Court, was removed last week to federal court in the Southern District of Illinois. The lead plaintiffs are Raqqa Inc., which operates Fairview Lounge, a bar, convenience mart and gas station at 10610 Lincoln Trail in Fairview Heights; and Michael C
Mar 13, 2017, 8:07 am - Lottery News

Florida House Speaker prepares to sue LotteryNews Story
The Florida Speaker of the House is drafting a lawsuit that would pit the House against the Florida Lottery. At the heart of the issue is a contract between the Florida Lottery and gaming vendor IGT Global Solutions Corporation, which provides lotto vending machines. Last year, the Florida Legislature budgeted about $26.6 million for terminal machines, $5 million for instant-ticket vending machines and $2.9 million for full-service vending machines, according to a draft of the suit. The
Feb 15, 2017, 10:30 am - Lottery News

Lawsuit accuses Illinois Lottery manager of fraud in instant gamesNews Story
Three lottery players and a downstate bar have accused the Illinois Lottery's private manager of defrauding scratch-off players and retailers after an investigation found the lottery did not award many of the biggest prizes in its biggest instant games. In a lawsuit filed Monday in St. Clair County, the plaintiffs cited a December article in the Tribune that examined the lottery's practices in the years after the state handed over its management to a private firm, Northstar Lottery Group.
Feb 8, 2017, 9:43 am - Lottery News

Former MUSL official received severance amid lottery jackpot scandalNews Story
A prominent lottery official who was stripped of power after a subordinate allegedly carried out a prolonged jackpot-rigging scheme received a $284,000 severance payment, a recent tax filing shows. The Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) made the payment to its longtime executive director Chuck Strutt as part of a voluntary termination agreement signed March 31, according to its 2016 tax return. The filing, released by the group in response to a request by The AP, also reveals that its leg
Jan 10, 2017, 10:04 pm - Lottery News

Man files lawsuit over rigged lottery jackpotsNews Story
Hopes to achieve class action certification Hundreds of thousands of lottery players who were allegedly cheated by an insider's long-running scheme to rig jackpots should be reimbursed for their losing tickets, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday that seeks class action certification. Lawyers filed the consumer fraud case against the Multi-State Lottery Association, the Iowa-based nonprofit that helps administer games that are offered by state lotteries. It alleges the association faile
Jan 4, 2017, 8:56 pm - Lottery News

Illinois lawmakers call for investigation into lotteryNews Story
State lawmakers from both political parties are calling for an investigation of how the Illinois Lottery managed scratch-off games in response to a report showing the lottery didn't award many of the biggest prizes in the biggest games. I just don't think we should promise people things we don't deliver, said state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. And if we say we have a game that's going to pay X and it doesn't pay X, then we've lied to the people who bought the tickets. Lang was joined by stat
Dec 13, 2016, 8:24 am - Lottery News

Investigation: Illinois Lottery didn't award 40% of scratch-off grand prizesNews Story
It was called The Good Life and offered the biggest grand prize of any instant game the Illinois Lottery had ever produced. Two lucky winners could scratch their way to $46 million each, paid in periodic installments. At $30, tickets weren't cheap, but millions were sold. Then the game ended before the lottery sold most of the tickets that were printed, with neither top prize awarded. The same thing happened with another instant game, called Birthday Surprise. Two large grand prizes offere
Dec 9, 2016, 1:50 pm - Lottery News