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Lottery nixes man's bid to buy 7 million ticketsNews Story
A deep-pocketed mystery man from Chicago tried to bet an odds-skewing $7 million on the Mass Millions numbers game this week after Lottery officials opened the door by helping him buy 60,000 of the dollar tickets just last week.Lottery officials furiously backpedaled yesterday, refusing to release the man's identity even as they admitted they have no idea where his cash came from - raising fears among lawmakers that a mobster or drug kinpin may be trying to launder money through the Lottery. I'm
Nov 14, 2003, 5:13 am - Lottery News

High Court OKs Lottery Worker's ProsecutionNews Story
Massachusetts' high court cleared the way Tuesday for the prosecution of a septuagenarian former Lottery worker accused of stealing money and lottery tickets from the agency.The Supreme Judicial Court overruled a lower court decision that suppressed incriminating comments made by Maxine Sneed, then 70, when she was questioned in her home in 1999 by a state police officer and a lottery investigator.Because she was not in custody, the court ruled, the investigators did not need to read Sneed her M
Oct 16, 2003, 3:40 am - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery needs to replace 2.2M defective scratch ticketsNews Story
More than two million state lottery scratch tickets will have to be replaced because they have a shelf life problem. If they sit around too long, the latex in the scratching area deteriorates and may become unscratchable.The problems with the $200,000 Bonus game tickets have prompted Treasurer Timothy Cahill to order an overhaul of the Massachusetts State Lotterys procedures for handling ticket glitches, according to a published report Monday. We expect flaws. Its part of the industry, said
Oct 14, 2003, 3:46 am - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery advertising will focus on jackpots, not scratch ticketsNews Story
Sometime before the end of the year, television viewers will be treated to their first glimpse of advertising for the Massachusetts Lottery in nearly a decade.The new $5 million advertising campaign will focus on encouraging casual players to plunk down money for jackpot games like Megabucks and Mega Millions, while steering clear of plugging games like scratch tickets and Keno, according to state Treasurer Tim Cahill.Cahill said he wants to boost Lottery revenues among higher income and casual
Oct 3, 2003, 2:46 pm - Lottery News

Lottery fantasy comes trueNews Story
Like many people, La Pheris F. Powers of Springfield, Massachusetts had fantasized about what he would do if he won the lottery.Now that he has, his nine grandchildren and niece don't have to worry about paying for college.The number one thing I want to do is make sure they get the best education available to them, said Powers, who won $4.5 million Sept. 20 in the Megabucks game.Powers, a 63-year-old retired Northeast Utilities engineer, doesn't plan on buying any new fancy cars or house or clo
Oct 1, 2003, 3:39 am - Lottery News

10,000 scratch tickets flawed?News Story
Ten thousand scratch tickets from Massachusetts' new $640 Million Jubilee game are potentially defective -- but state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill is refusing to issue a recall, despite fears the flawed tickets could skew the odds or even deprive somebody of a big jackpot.The $10 tickets, which were just unveiled two weeks ago, contain an uneven coating of the chemical that makes the latex scratching surface stick to the ticket's paper -- making them unscratchable.Over the past 11 days, one Lotte
Sep 30, 2003, 4:10 am - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery limits track's winning ticket payoutsNews Story
The Massachusetts lottery will no longer allow the Raynham Park dog track to cash big ticket prizes after a state audit raised concerns that some people use the service to avoid paying taxes.Raynham Park is the only one of 7,300 sales agents that can cash ticket prizes of more than $600. Under the contract, it can cash ticket prizes up to $25,000.But the lottery notified track officials on Tuesday that they will have to comply with the $600 limit, effective in three weeks.Last year, 12 people ma
Sep 24, 2003, 3:40 am - Lottery News

Treasurer eyes tax-evading Lottery winnersNews Story
Massachusetts State Treasurer Tim Cahill plans to tighten Lottery regulations following an audit report issued Wednesday that shows winners often employ suspicious ticket cashing methods to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes.''As a result, millions of dollars in taxes were evaded, lost and not reported that could have been used for much-needed state and municipal programs,'' state Auditor Joseph DeNucci said in his report.DeNucci conducted the ''transition audit'' at the request of Cahill
Sep 11, 2003, 4:27 am - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery Extends Keno HoursNews Story
The Massachusetts Lottery has announced a pilot program to add 22 additional hours of Keno each week.Officials said additional hours will generate much-needed revenue for the state. The surest and fastest way to increase local aid to our struggling cities and towns is by improving the Lotterys existing products as we research and implement new ones, state Treasurer Timothy Cahill said in a statement Tuesday.The new Keno hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sundays from n
Sep 3, 2003, 3:29 am - Lottery News

Lottery bill offers lump cash optionNews Story
For most lottery winners, hitting the jackpot isn't a ticket to instant riches. However, if a MetroWest lawmaker has his way, winners no longer would have to wait 20 years or more to completely cash in on a winning ticket.State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Newton, has sponsored legislation that would give lottery winners the option of selling their right to future prize payments in exchange for an immediate cash lump sum.The bill, which was admitted to the House of Representatives yesterday, is mode
Aug 9, 2003, 10:21 am - Lottery News