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Records show alcohol-related misconduct by former MN Lottery officialNews Story
The former acting director of the Minnesota State Lottery was so drunk at conferences in Las Vegas, New York City, Miami and Indianapolis that she was suspended by Gov. Mark Dayton's chief of staff, according to records released Wednesday by the lottery. Johnene Canfield was eventually fired earlier this year and is now suing the state for discrimination, saying her gender and disability from alcohol dependency led to her dismissal. She was terminated after a December 2014 incident in whic
Nov 7, 2015, 8:03 am - Lottery News

Ex-Minnesota Lottery executive pleads guilty in car-crash caseNews Story
A former top Minnesota Lottery official suing over her termination pleaded guilty Monday to a drunken-driving charge stemming from a serious car crash last December. Johnene Canfield pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to gross a misdemeanor charge of failing to submit to a chemical test. She paid a $715 fine, agreed to 30 days in an out-of-custody sentence-to-service program and committed to perform 100 hours of additional community service. Additional penalties were stayed pendin
Oct 27, 2015, 9:18 am - Lottery News

West Va. Lottery director announces retirementNews Story
John Musgrave, the longtime director of the West Virginia Lottery, announced his retirement Thursday, bringing to a close a more than 19-year run that has included work for four different governors. I love this job. I've been so fortunate. I like doing what I do and serving this administration, as well as the others, but there's something that just tells me it's time, Musgrave told MetroNews. The lottery had annual revenue of approximately $220 million when Musgrave took over. It now has
Oct 9, 2015, 10:32 am - Lottery News

Fired Minnesota Lottery executive sues for her job backNews Story
A former senior executive at the Minnesota State Lottery who was fired amid a bout with alcohol abuse is suing her ex-boss and the state on claims she was discriminated against because of her gender and her chemical dependency. Johnene Canfield filed a lawsuit Friday in Ramsey County District Court that seeks reinstatement to the $100,000-a-year assistant lottery director post. She is also seeking damages for lost wages and emotional distress since being put on leave in December following her
Oct 7, 2015, 4:10 pm - Lottery News

Illinois fires lottery operator NorthstarNews Story
Will continue to operate lottery for more than a year The nation's first private company to manage a state lottery was fired Friday by the Illinois Governor after years of failing to make the lofty revenue targets it promised. In a news release Friday, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced that his office had reached a termination agreement with Northstar Lottery Group that will remove the firm as private manager as of Jan. 1, 2017, or until a replacement is chosen. The agreement also stipulated
Sep 19, 2015, 10:48 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery looking for new HQ as revenues growNews Story
Executives of the North Carolina Education Lottery have initiated a search for new office space that's more than double the size of the lottery's headquarters on Yonkers Road in Raleigh. N.C. Lottery spokesman Van Denton explains that since the lottery program was enacted by the General Assembly in 2006, lottery sales have more than doubled to more than $2 billion per year, requiring a need to increase the lottery's administrative staff. The N.C. Education Lottery currently has 160 people on
Sep 18, 2015, 6:56 pm - Lottery News

Florida Lottery chief resigning amid controversyNews Story
Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O'Connell is stepping down with the announcement coming days after reports surfaced that she spent more than $30,000 on travel last year. On Friday, Governor Rick Scott tapped Florida Lottery sales veteran Tom Delacenserie to take over as interim secretary of the agency. Politico reported earlier this week that taxpayers last year spent more than $30,000 on travel for O'Connell, whose annual salary is $141,000, on trips to places including Las Vegas, Boston a
Sep 2, 2015, 7:25 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery to change policy after 6 major unclaimed prizes this yearNews Story
Officials with the Minnesota State Lottery said Wednesday they are changing their policy on information for winning lottery tickets after as many as six major prizes this year have gone unclaimed. Lottery officials said, effective immediately, they will disclose the name, address and city of the business where a winning lottery ticket is sold. In the past, the lottery has only released the county in which the ticket was sold. The new policy applies to six unclaimed prizes that amount to a
Jul 2, 2015, 8:46 am - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery sales director to resignNews Story
The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery's director of sales was given a choice Monday resignation or termination. Lottery Director Bishop Woosley confirmed Monday that Robert Stebbins, who has been with the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery as the group's director of sales since its start, is no longer working for the program. Woosley said early Monday night that Stebbins was told he'd be fired if he didn't quit, but Woosley said he doesn't know which option Stebbins will take. There was no answer
Jun 30, 2015, 10:11 am - Lottery News

Wyoming Lottery to release salariesNews Story
The Wyoming Lottery board voted 8-1 at a special meeting Monday to release salary information for board members and employees. Lottery CEO Jon Clontz said he will distribute the salary information Tuesday. After the salary issue was decided, the board passed a provisional budget for the upcoming fiscal year with $27 million in projected revenues but didn't have copies of the projections for the public to view. Since April, local media and lotto officials have disagreed on whether the sa
Jun 16, 2015, 12:47 pm - Lottery News