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Ohio Lottery audit begins next weekNews Story
State Auditor Mary Taylor officially begins her review of the Ohio Lottery Commission next week, two months after lottery officials tried to close the door on her by arguing that the attention is unwarranted. Auditors and lottery officials are scheduled to sit together next Wednesday at kick-off meeting during which the approach and scope of the audit will be outlined. The decision to conduct a performance audit of the $2.4 billion state agency is unusual because such audits are typically
Dec 30, 2009, 9:42 am - Lottery News

Lottery to the rescue: Will 4-minute Keno fill Washington budget gap?News Story
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire is seriously considering legislation that would allow four-minute Keno games as a way to help deal with a projected $2.6 billion budget shortfall. The games could bring in an estimated $30 million a year. That's not much money compared with the budget gap, but lawmakers are hunting for any cash they can find. Similar bills have been proposed and have died in the past. Things could be different this time, given the severity of the state's budget crisis, but th
Dec 7, 2009, 7:52 am - Lottery News

Arizona legislators may borrow against future lottery revenueNews Story
Voters must extend lottery beyond 2012 State lawmakers already are eyeing another special session on the budget next month, including a proposal to ask voters to extend the Arizona Lottery. The plan comes even though the Republican-controlled Legislature has yet to give final approval to plans to cut about $300 million in state aid to education and welfare-agency funds. That effort stalled Thursday when two GOP lawmakers refused to go along with a piece of the package to let state agenc
Nov 23, 2009, 10:32 am - Lottery News

Maryland Lottery to tackle budget constraints with social mediaNews Story
The Maryland Lottery will rely more on social media and less on D.C.'s massive media market to tout its games as the state slashes its advertising budget. The state agency said it will look at Twitter, Facebook and other online networking sites to save money after statewide budget cuts slashed its ad spending by $5.5 million. And instead of buying pricey ads on local television stations that reach the entire D.C. market, it may buy Comcast cable ads that target certain neighborhoods, lottery
Jul 31, 2009, 8:37 am - Lottery News

Proposed Mass. budget includes nonexistent lottery moneyNews Story
Issue highlights problem with budgeting based on speculation When Massachusetts lawmakers approved a $24.7 billion state budget last week, they included $25 million in expected revenue from the multi-state lottery game, Powerball. The trouble is, the state's bid to become a part of the game had been rejected and state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill neglected to let legislators know. To make matters worse, the inclusion of Powerball revenue in the state budget was based upon the notion that
Jul 29, 2009, 12:27 pm - Lottery News

Tenn. Lottery's Hargrove named chair of the Powerball GroupNews Story
Rebecca Hargrove, president and CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery, earlier this month was named Chair of the Powerball Group of the Multi-State Lottery Association. In the position announced July 10, Hargrove will oversee the management and marketing of the brand, its budget, its rules and new membership. A 24-year lottery industry veteran, Hargrove has served as the chief executive of four U.S. lotteries and was hired in 2003 to launch Tennessee's lottery. The Multi-State Lottery
Jul 29, 2009, 12:16 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery director hires core management staffNews Story
Outcry over high salaries; Director defends Ernie Passailaigue, who started his job two weeks ago as executive director of the Arkansas Lottery Commission, has been steadily hiring employees to fill core management positions, while defending the high salaries he is giving the new staff. Before the hiring commenced, a legislative committee signed off ealier this month on the newly hired lottery chief's plan to pay his top deputies more than $200,000 each. Passailaigue asked legislators t
Jul 15, 2009, 11:53 am - Lottery News

New Hampshire crushes lottery winners with new 10% taxNews Story
Two $1M winners rush to get prizes before taxes skyrocket Will higher taxes have the wrong effect and reduce revenue to the state? The day before a massive 10 percent state tax on lottery prizes went into effect in the Granite State, two winners claimed separate $1 million jackpots something never before witnessed by a 20-year veteran of the lottery. Milford High School teacher John Kasparek, 42, of Brookline, took a lump sum cash payment of $650,000 before taxes after a NH Millionaire'
Jul 1, 2009, 8:11 pm - Lottery News

N.J. Lottery to end live broadcast of midday drawingNews Story
Is $100,000 in cost-savings worth the loss of midday drawing broadcasts? Beginning Friday, the New Jersey Lottery Commission will stop airing live drawings at 1 p.m. on the state's public television network in an effort to save money. Only summaries of the results of the Pick 3 and Pick 4 lotteries will be shown on New Jersey Network at 1 p.m., the state Lottery Commission said today. Video of the actual drawings will only be available on the commission's Web site. The midday winning
May 11, 2009, 10:41 pm - Lottery News

Connecticut lottery agents protest cut in commissionsNews Story
More than 100 lottery agents from across the state came to Connecticut Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill Thursday to protest a cut in ticket commissions by the Connecticut Lottery Corp. The agents, who represent businesses ranging from small convenience stores and gas stations to delis and grocery store chains, are frustrated by an act that state legislators passed in February that cut commissions from 5 percent to 4 percent as of April 1. The lottery corporation's board of directors stil
May 8, 2009, 11:30 am - Lottery News