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California Lottery director resigns amid investigationsNews Story
California State Lottery Director Hugo Lopez is stepping down immediately, he announced in an email to lottery staff on Friday. Lopez has led the department since 2015. It's been under scrutiny from the Department of Justice and the State Controller's Office since August, when anonymous employees sent a letter to former Gov. Jerry Brown's office alleging misconduct among senior executives at sales conferences. Lopez in his message said he was proud of the department's performance, particul
Jun 10, 2019, 8:18 am - Lottery News

New Hampshire wins Wire Act lawsuitNews Story
Federal judge to DOJ: Wire Act only applies to sports betting New Hampshire has won its lawsuit against the US Department of Justice clarifying the scope of a 1961 federal gambling law. In a 60-page ruling issued Monday, US District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro rejected a 2018 opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel which expanded the Wire Act to broadly cover interstate online gambling. The previous interpretation from 2011 applies narrowly to sports betting. The judge handed the DOJ a
Jun 5, 2019, 6:39 pm - Lottery News

Massachusetts legislators looking into fairness of lottery fund distributionNews Story
Massachusetts residents have been playing the lottery for nearly 50 years, enjoying both the risk and the benefits their towns and cities see. But some legislators are worried certain communities are getting more out of the game than others. Every year, about 20% of the revenue the state lottery rakes in is distributed to the 351 towns and cities, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery's website. In 2018, the lottery returned $997 million to the state, which was the second-highest total
May 29, 2019, 8:00 am - Lottery News

Lawmaker: Alabama lottery bill 'dead' for sessionNews Story
An Alabama lottery bill is defunct for the legislative session, a key lawmaker said Wednesday. It's dead for this session. It won't be coming back this session, said Republican Rep. Steve Clouse, who was shepherding the bill in the House of Representatives. The bill hit a politically fatal mix of conservative opposition to gambling and liberals' feuds over electronic gambling and how to use lottery revenue. Clouse said they do not have the 63 bipartisan votes needed to pass the measure in
May 23, 2019, 11:48 am - Lottery News

Lottery bill stalls in Alabama HouseNews Story
Bill stalls on partisan vote, with most Democrats voting against it Alabama lawmakers Tuesday rejected a plan to allow voters to decide whether to establish a state lottery, a question that was last on the ballot 20 years ago. Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, who is handling the bill in the House of Representatives, initially said it could be reconsidered Tuesday night or Wednesday. Clouse later said the bill was not coming up again Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The bill fell o
May 22, 2019, 10:58 am - Lottery News

World Lottery Association president urges veto of warning labelsNews Story
Florida's first lottery secretary called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto legislation placing warning labels on tickets. Rebecca Paul Hargrove, now president of the World Lottery Association, said Florida could set an unfortunate precedent. Should the bill (HB 629) become law, it could hurt lottery-funded programs nationwide. The instant scratch-off games have been around for over 45 years, and sales of these games continue to grow every year, Hargrove wrote in a letter to DeSantis, but more
May 20, 2019, 9:45 am - Lottery News

Alabama lottery plan approved by committeeNews Story
A plan to allow voters to decide whether to set up a state lottery in Alabama advanced Wednesday in the House of Representatives. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee approved the bill. The committee had held a public hearing last week but did not vote. Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, is sponsor of the legislation, which passed the Senate. But the committee today approved a substitute for Albritton's bill by Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, who chairs the House General Fund budget
May 16, 2019, 7:01 am - Lottery News

New lottery agreement with private operator Northstar expected to save NJ up to $100MNews Story
New Jersey government officials have renegotiated a contract with the private operator of the New Jersey Lottery that is expected to save taxpayers up to $100 million over the next decade. The new agreement raises the performance targets for Northstar New Jersey, a gaming conglomerate which has struggled to meet its financial promises to the state while also reaping tens of millions of dollars each year in incentives and fees. It had promised to generate at least $1.4 billion for the state ov
May 14, 2019, 11:38 am - Lottery News

Alabama lottery plan changed; vote next weekNews Story
An Alabama House committee today adopted a new version of a bill to set up a state lottery in Alabama, changing how the money would be distributed. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee adopted the bill by Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, who is chairman of the House General Fund budget committee. Clouse's bill would direct 75 percent of net lottery revenues to the General Fund and 25 percent to the Education Trust Fund. The original version, by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore,
May 10, 2019, 8:40 am - Lottery News

Florida lawmakers want to slap addiction warning notices on every lottery ticketNews Story
Yet alcohol is warning-free? Booze and beer don't carry similar cautions, but some Republican lawmakers want people playing the state lottery to be warned that the games may be addictive. With the 2019 legislative session in its final days, the Senate is considering a proposal that would require all lottery tickets to include a warning, which also would be part of any advertisements for the state-sponsored games. The bill would require the tickets and promotions to include the words: Wa
May 2, 2019, 8:53 am - Lottery News