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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

Lottery vending machines considered in KansasNews Story
Kansas lawmakers are mulling over the possibility of legalizing lottery vending machines as a means to fund the state's struggling mental health system. Such machines are used in 37 other lottery states. The idea, floated by Rep. Chuck Weber, R-Wichita, is expected to increase funding to mental health services by $12 million over two years. Kansas has been under extreme budget stress the past few years as it looks for new ways to fund state programs. The recession and budget cuts resulted in
May 9, 2017, 8:24 am - Lottery News

Vermont paying $8,000 per month on unused lottery machinesNews Story
Since last June, 25 lottery machines leased by the state of Vermont have gathered cobwebs in storage unplugged and unused at a cost of $8,000 a month. That means the state has paid $72,000 in fees for nothing. And the tab is still mounting. Neither the governor nor legislators were happy to hear about the losing proposition. I don't like that we're wasting money and having these machines sit idly, Gov. Phil Scott said Tuesday. His staff learned about the situation in February while workin
Apr 27, 2017, 2:37 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

Kansas lawmakers considering lottery vending machinesNews Story
Kansas Lottery players soon might be able to buy tickets from vending machines. The House voted this week in support of the move, which the state lottery has sought for three years. Lottery spokeswoman Sally Lunsford said the measure would increase lottery revenue and cut labor costs for retailers, where ticket buyers could bypass clerks and use the self-service machines. She said 37 other states, including Missouri, Colorado and Oklahoma, use the machines. Vending machines have increas
Mar 25, 2017, 3:30 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

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

Woman denied $43 million jackpot, offered steak dinner insteadNews Story
It was a selfie she thought was worth nearly $43 million. Katrina Bookman hit the jackpot on a slot machine in late August at Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, Queens. She even took an excited self-portrait with the machine displaying her winnings: $42,949,672. It would have been the largest slot machine jackpot in US history. I can't even describe the feeling. It's like my whole body just got numb, Bookman said. But when she came back the next day to find out the exact size of her jack
Nov 3, 2016, 12:53 pm - Lottery News

These poker-playing robots can bluff better than humansNews Story
When it comes to understanding intelligence, the greatest challenge out there is not a Rubik's Cube, or chess, or even Go. These games are difficult in the sense that there are often many options, but they are still transparent: nothing is hidden; every bit of information is in front of you. The main obstacle is converting this perfect information into a strategy. There is a fixed set of rules out there, and if a computer can find them, it will achieve the optimal result in every game. When G
Oct 1, 2016, 8:47 am - Lottery News