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NY takes $5 million from lottery winners for child support, welfareNews Story
New York lottery officials announced Tuesday that the state has taken nearly $5 million from thousands of lottery jackpots before they were released to winners and applied the money to owed child-support payments or to recover a portion of welfare given to winners over the last decade. The move is part of the state's Lottery Intercept Program that has diverted nearly $10 million in winnings to child support, and more than $25 million in winnings toward public assistance since it was adopted in 1
May 24, 2005, 6:38 pm - Lottery News

NY Court Of Appeals Rules Video Lottery Terminals Are LegalNews Story
Court Also Rules in Favor of Mega Millions Lottery GameNew York's highest court has given the go-ahead for video lottery terminals.The Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled VLT's are not slot machines, and therefore are legal. The ruling also says a portion of the revenue from the terminals can go to the horse racing industry, since the machines operate at tracks.Opponents had sued, saying lottery proceeds were state-mandated to go to education funding.VLT's were approved by lawmakers to bring more
May 4, 2005, 9:42 am - Lottery News

Thousands fume over lottery game typoNews Story
Hundreds Think They Won Grand PrizeIt's become a scratch with a catch after thousands of people thought they had won a $100,000 jackpot in a newspaper lottery game.The New York Daily News said a printing error led to a Scratch 'n Match debacle.They lined up by the hundreds Monday outside the New York Daily News ready to claim their instant fortunes.But the paper says not so fast -- there's been a mistake and those who think they won didn't. Many in the crowd weren't buying it.According to the ru
Mar 22, 2005, 9:36 am - Lottery News

NY Post chides rival paper over lottery errorNews Story
The New York Post appears to be enjoying the mess that its long-time rival, The New York Daily News, created when it printed erroneous lottery numbers, and misled thousands of readers into thinking they won big bucks.The Post's editorial was scathing, including a call by the paper for the Daily News to award all the prize money that they initially reported people won. New York Post criticizes rival(by New York Daily News)New York's hometown newspaper scamsters tried to buy their way out of big t
Mar 22, 2005, 8:32 am - Lottery News

NY Lottery continues Quick Draw investigationNews Story
The New York State Lottery isn't tipping its hand about its ongoing Quick Draw investigation.Lottery spokeswoman Jennifer Mauer told NewsWatch50 the investigation is still underway and there is no timetable for completion.Two Watertown taverns - The Speak Easy and Keglers - had their Quick Draw games suspended while the investigation is underway. Same for a couple of Quick Draw vendors in the downstate region which Mauer refused to identify.The investigation was sparked by a series of Watertown
Mar 10, 2005, 11:12 am - Lottery News

NY Lottery Suspends 2 Downstate Quick Draw VendorsNews Story
The New York Lottery has suspended the Quick Draw licenses of two more vendors.This time the vendors affected are somewhere in the downstate region, a Lottery official told NewsWatch50.Friday evening, the Lottery abruptly shut off the Quick Draw feed to The Speakeasy and Kegler's in Watertown.The Lottery terms the action suspensions while they conduct an investigation sparked by the Watertown Daily Times detailed account of the multi million dollar gambling spree by Watertown's John Breen.Bree
Feb 15, 2005, 9:21 am - Lottery News

Mom, daughter share $1 million NY lottery prizeNews Story
Elephants are known for their luck in Laos, where Viengkham Kounnavong was born.So when the Henrietta assembly-line worker was selecting five lottery tickets to play last month, she immediately chose one with a pachyderm theme. And it paid off, in an elephantine way.Kounnavong, a mother of three and grandmother of one, beat odds of more than 1 in 5 million to win the $5 ticket's top prize of $1 million.But trying to convince others of her win wasn't so easy.Kounnavong, 46, who bought her lottery
Feb 10, 2005, 3:18 pm - Lottery News

NY Gov. proposes new lottery gamesNews Story
After cashing in a winning $50 state lottery scratch-off game Wednesday, Shantel Payne of Albany had a grin on her face. Last month I won $500, and at the same time last year I was cashing in a $2,500 ticket. I play every day. I'm not mad when I lose. You got to keep playing to win it, she said jokingly.Payne and other regular players, who helped the state collect an estimated $1.9 billion in lottery revenues this year, ducked in out of the bitter cold into stores, bars and restaurants near the
Jan 20, 2005, 8:06 am - Lottery News

A couple of NY Lottery millionairesNews Story
Kicking off the New Year, the New York Lottery made two instant millionaires: Louise and Hamed Ganemtore, winners of $1 million instant game, and Cliff and Arlene Maxwell, who hit Lotto for $40 million on Quick Pick ticket four days before Christmas.The New Year's first lottery millionaire is spending his fortune on a reunion that will be priceless.Hamed Ganemtore, 34, and his wife, Louise, 25, have not seen their two young children since the couple moved to the Bronx from Burkina Faso, West Afr
Jan 4, 2005, 2:30 pm - Lottery News

New York man wins $149M Mega Millions jackpotNews Story
Like most parking lot attendants, Juan Rodriguez knows how tantalizing and frustrating it can be to drive a luxury car, only to have to surrender it all too quickly for a pair of crumpled dollars.But now, after 20 years of anonymous toil for a legion of well-heeled motorists near the United Nations, the Colombian-born Ozone Park resident can sit in his own heated leather seat.Sunday, New York Lottery authorities declared him the winner of the largest jackpot ever won in the state, $149 million.
Nov 23, 2004, 7:34 am - Lottery News