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Bill dissolves Arkansas lottery panelNews Story
Move designed to give legislature more direct oversight The legislative committee that oversees the Arkansas Lottery would be dissolved under a bill filed Monday. Senate Bill 365 by Sen. Larry Teague, D-Nashville, would repeal language in the state lottery law that created a 12-member legislative oversight committee on the lottery. Teague's bill would require the Arkansas Lottery Commission to submit contracts, rules, reports and other information to the Legislative Council for review.
Feb 22, 2011, 10:27 am - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery director's benefits in conflict with law?News Story
Arkansas law expressly prohibits the use of a multiplier in determining the state lottery director's salary for retirement purposes, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said in an opinion Monday. Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue's base salary is $141,603 a year, but the Lottery Commission has been paying him $324,000 a year thanks to an optional multiplier included in the state's lottery law. His retirement benefits have been based on the $324,000 figure, not his base salary. Sen. Bobby Gl
Feb 8, 2011, 8:54 am - Lottery News

Illinois signs deal to privatize lotteryNews Story
Illinois Lottery to become nation's first privately-run lottery Daily operations of the Illinois Lottery will be managed by a private company beginning in July. As part of a massive deal that has been in the works for nearly two years, state officials announced Tuesday that they've signed a final deal with Northstar Lottery Group to run the lottery. Northstar, which is comprised of three companies that already do business with the state, has said it could generate $1.5 billion more over
Jan 19, 2011, 9:15 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery gets new directorNews Story
The N.C. Education Lottery Commission tonight named Alice Garland, deputy executive director for legislative and corporate communications, as the new executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. Garland will be the second director and has served as acting executive director since the first director, Tom Shaheen, announced his resignation in August. Robert Farris, chairman of the commission, said the commission's unanimous vote for Garland concluded a national search that included 55 a
Jan 19, 2011, 8:15 am - Lottery News

Arkansas lottery director up for review for first timeNews Story
The director of the Arkansas Lottery, who oversaw its successful launch but has had a series of high-profile flubs, will receive his first employee evaluation Wednesday when the Arkansas Lottery Commission. Commission chairman Dianne Lamberth said the panel will go into executive session to discuss Ernie Passailaigue's performance, which has been highlighted by the scholarships given to students last fall but darkened by a critical audit and other problems. The commission met in closed ses
Jan 10, 2011, 8:14 am - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery may not be able to meet scholarship demandsNews Story
Panel considered reducing scholarship amounts The legislative committee that oversees the state lottery yesterday considered, but ultimately tabled, a proposal to recommend reducing lottery scholarship amounts by 10 percent for the second class of lottery recipients. Last year the Legislature set the amount for the first group of lottery recipients at $5,000 per year to attend a four-year school and $2,500 per year to attend a two-year school. Rep. Barry Hyde, D-North Little Rock, co-ch
Dec 31, 2010, 10:48 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery making changes to counter weak salesNews Story
Additional draws to be added in Feb.; search narrows for new director North Carolina lottery commissioners estimated Wednesday the program will earn $40 million less than expected in the current year because of weak ticket sales another financial blow for a state education system already bracing for budget cuts. The North Carolina Education Lottery Commission revised its sales estimate in approving a new budget. That plan projects the lottery will be able to provide about $402 million for
Dec 16, 2010, 9:24 am - Lottery News

Former W.V. Lottery inspector admits lying to fedsNews Story
A former inspector with the West Virginia Lottery Commission admitted Wednesday that she lied to investigators about taking money from a former state delegate who ran an illegal gambling ring in West Virginia and Kentucky. Carolyn A. Kitchen, 55, of Chapmanville, admitted that she lied to investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service when they questioned her about her involvement with Joe C. Ferrell in February 2008. Among other things, they asked
Nov 17, 2010, 10:45 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery director scolded by legislatorsNews Story
Updated Nov. 11, 2010, 5:58 pm: Additional detail about audit and findings, with quotations from Passailaigue An Arkansas state audit has revealed a variety of deficiencies in how the Arkansas lottery is being run, and one legislator told the lottery director he would be gone if he led any other state agency. Members of the Legislative Audit Committee on Friday told lottery chief Ernie Passailaigue that they're not satisfied with how he has addressed problems that have come up since the lo
Nov 12, 2010, 1:26 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery director survives attempted ousterNews Story
The director of the Arkansas Lottery survived an attempt this week to oust him from his job. The Arkansas Lottery Commission voted down a motion to fire Ernie Passailaigue after the lottery director drew a strong rebuke for granting compensatory time off to employees who were exempt from receiving overtime pay. I'm going to let the motion speak for itself, said commissioner Ben Pickard of Searcy, who made the motion after the commission returned from executive session. Pickard and commiss
Sep 10, 2010, 8:48 am - Lottery News