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Editorial: The state lottery, starring...News Story
By Jim Jenkins, News ObserverThe startup of the new North Carolina state lottery has of late turned into a soap opera with more twists than All My Children. But it's more akin to one of those situation comedies than to depressing drama. Sure, it is depressing drama, but the way things have been going, you gotta admit it's been more, well, slapstick lately.Consider all the hoo-rah around passage in the General Assembly, which most years is itself an ongoing comedy, which is the way you have t
Nov 11, 2005, 9:21 am - Lottery News

N.C. Gov. says lottery can overcome setbacksNews Story
North Carolina Governor Mike Easley says he thinks North Carolina's new and beleaguered lottery can overcome recent setbacks that led to a criminal investigation over alleged lobbying violations.Easley told reporters this morning that an appointed commission can lead the troubled numbers game out of its current problems. The governor says, You can focus on the bumps or you can focus on the road. I intend to focus myself on the road. Since Easley signed the lottery into law in August, two member
Nov 8, 2005, 2:01 pm - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery ticket plan may kill video pokerNews Story
One of North Carolina's top lawmakers Friday called for banning the sale of lottery tickets at businesses with video poker machines, a ban one operator said would effectively kill the video poker business.Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight proposed the ban in a letter to lottery commission Chairman Charles Sanders. The Dare County Democrat has long opposed video poker. While the Senate has repeatedly voted to ban the games, the House never has.An ongoing federal probe of the industry last ye
Nov 8, 2005, 8:57 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery may need bigger consequences for lapse in ethicsNews Story
After taking a seat on the state lottery commission, Charlotte public relations executive Kevin Geddings was required to disclose in a state filing that he had a financial relationship with a lottery company.Geddings did not do it.But the stiffest penalty for a failure to disclose such information is for the N.C. Board of Ethics to recommend removal of the offender from his or her position.North Carolina is one of the few states in the nation without a broad ethics law, though North Carolina law
Nov 8, 2005, 6:31 am - Lottery News

Hunt for N.C. lottery director pared to 4News Story
S.C.'s top 2 lottery officials are finalists with Tenn., New Mexico counterparts; startup experience is keyNorth Carolina lottery commissioners searching for a lottery director plan to interview South Carolina's top two lottery officials next Wednesday, as well as senior lottery officials from New Mexico and Tennessee.Commissioners have narrowed their list to at least four finalists for the job, according to two officials familiar with the search. The lineup demonstrates the commission's push to
Nov 3, 2005, 12:30 pm - Lottery News

Former UNC-C Chancellor Named To N.C. Lottery CommissionNews Story
A former chancellor at UNC-Charlotte is the newest member of North Carolina's Lottery Commission.Jim Woodward was appointed to the commission Wednesday by state House Speaker Jim Black, even as the threat of criminal charges loomed over the man he's replacing.A state regulator said former commissioner Kevin Geddings, two other people and a company that may seek a lottery contract appear to have broken North Carolina's lobbying laws. A letter from the Secretary of State's Office refers the case t
Nov 3, 2005, 11:42 am - Lottery News

Scientific Games faces criminal investigationNews Story
Apparent violations of lobbying laws prompt North Carolina to initiate a probeNorth Carolina Wednesday began a criminal investigation of lottery company Scientific Games and three people who worked this year for the major gaming operator.The N.C. Secretary of State's office, which regulates lobbyists, said it found apparent violations of the lobbying laws by Scientific Games International Inc. and a vice president, Alan Middleton, as well as company consultants Meredith Norris and Kevin Geddin
Nov 3, 2005, 11:12 am - Lottery News

Thieves uncover hole in Okla. lottery planningNews Story
A flaw in security allowed thieves to steal lottery tickets from an Oklahoma store and redeem them before lottery officials could deactivate the ticket identification codes.The Oklahoma Lottery Commission says it will soon hire security people working beyond the regular hours of the commission office to prevent stolen lottery tickets from being cashed.Last Tuesday thieves robbed a Norman convenience store of its supply of tickets about 5 a.m.. The store owner said she tried to call the commiss
Nov 1, 2005, 11:54 am - Lottery News

N.C. lottery director candidates to be interviewed next weekNews Story
North Carolina lottery officials plan to interview candidates for their top staff post next week, a key move in their effort to start selling state gaming tickets by next spring.Members of the state's lottery commission say they likely will have to offer a director a top-dollar salary more than $150,000, plus bonuses to get the person they want.Commission members sifted through a pool of 200 applications during a 45-minute meeting Monday that was closed to the public.About 15 candidates have
Nov 1, 2005, 8:48 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery's image takes hitNews Story
North Carolina's lottery, not even 60 days old and nowhere near selling tickets, already looks dirty in the minds of the public, Lottery Commission Chairman Charles Sanders said Wednesday. There is a doubt in the public's mind, said Sanders, former CEO of pharmaceutical giant Glaxo, as to whether this is an honest and fair process. Controversies that have arisen around lottery company Scientific Games and its connections to both a lottery commissioner and a top aide to House Speaker Jim Black
Oct 28, 2005, 6:30 pm - Lottery News