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Calif. lottery director resignsNews Story
Chon Gutierrez, a longtime state official who has headed the California Lottery and the Department of Motor Vehicles, announced his retirement Thursday after more than 34 years in state government.In a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gutierrez, 60, said he was stepping down immediately from his current post as acting lottery director. From my perspective, how is the perfect time for me to finally retire, he said in a statement.Gutierrez was director of the lottery from 1987 to 1991. He ha
Aug 25, 2005, 9:43 pm - Lottery News

Calif. lottery director to resignNews Story
Acting California Lottery Director Chon Gutierrez is resigning amid controversy created by Democrat lawmakers over the legality of California's recent entrance into the multi-state Mega Millions lotto game.Gutierrez, who recently served as a Schwarzenegger administration troubleshooter on government reorganization, told his top staff members that he was going on vacation and then would retire after 34 years of state service in various capacities under multiple administrations.Aides to Gov. Arnol
Aug 25, 2005, 2:12 pm - Lottery News

Redundant Mega Millions lottery bill passes Calif. Senate CommitteeNews Story
A Senate committee, on a bipartisan vote, approved a measure Tuesday to legalize California's participation in Mega Millions lotto without the testimony of lottery officials who maintain the multi-state game is already legal. They had the audacity not to show up, said Sen. Dean Florez, a Bakersfield-area Democrat who authored the bill.A group that opposes gambling expansion has filed a lawsuit that alleges Mega Millions participation violates the voter-approved constitutional amendment that t
Aug 17, 2005, 7:09 pm - Lottery News

Schwarzenegger to replace Calif. lottery directorNews Story
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's aides said Tuesday that he is dumping troubleshooter Chon Gutierrez, the acting lottery director who engineered California's participation with the Mega Millions multi-state lottery game, and then sent an adviser to spy on Democrats who are trying to halt ticket sales.Democrat lawmakers and an anti-gambling group that sued the lottery took a break from their political bombardment of the Republican governor and hailed his decision.The governor's office has
Jul 28, 2005, 2:15 pm - Lottery News

$170M Mega Millions jackpot has Calif. Lottery officials scramblingNews Story
Chon Gutierrez, acting director of the California State Lottery, boldly predicted there would be days like this. But he had no idea that day would come this soon.Today, California's participation in the new Mega Millions multistate lottery game is expected to produce a $170 million jackpot, the second-largest lottery jackpot in state history. If no one wins in the 12-state drawing tonight, Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot likely will top $200 million - exceeding the California record of $193 mill
Jul 22, 2005, 10:45 am - Lottery News

Calif. Lottery uses trick as Dems continue undermining Mega MillionsNews Story
The California Lottery admitted Monday they used a state official, who misrepresented herself as a freelance reporter, as an operative in the legal battle over constitutionality of the multistate Mega Millions game in California.In other developments, lawmakers indicated they may reject confirmation of Lottery Commission appointees who voted for the game and disclosed they are planning to unveil a bill today to make Mega Millions legal here, despite the lottery's claim it has not broken the law.
Jul 12, 2005, 9:21 am - Lottery News

Calif. Democrat criticizes lottery's 'weak case'News Story
The state lottery said Thursday it would continue selling Mega Millions tickets as it fights an anti-gambling group's lawsuit that seeks an immediate shutdown on the grounds the multi-state game is unconstitutional in California.But a state senator said an uphill legal battle ultimately could cost schools hundreds of millions of dollars and permanently damage the lottery's reputation. The lottery is going into court with a fairly weak case, said state Sen. Dean Florez, a Bakersfield-area Democr
Jul 8, 2005, 2:51 pm - Lottery News

Anti-lottery group sues to end Mega Millions in CaliforniaNews Story
The California Coalition Against Gambling Expansion filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking an injunction to shut down the state's two-week-old Mega Millions multistate lotto.The coalition will formally notified the California State Lottery of the action Wednesday, and then publicly announced it in a press release [see below], the group's attorneys from the Sacramento and Woodland Hills areas told Lottery Post.The coalition, represented by Sacramento-area attorney Fred Jones and Woodland Hills busines
Jul 8, 2005, 10:09 am - Lottery News

Calif. Lottery Sales Reach Record HighNews Story
People bought more than $3 billion in California Lottery tickets this fiscal year, a record for the nearly 20-year-old games.Officials attributed much of the rise not to the flashy 12-state Mega Millions game that debuted last week, but to a burst in the popularity of Scratchers, in which players scrape a coating from tickets to reveal potential winning numbers.After some of Scratchers' dozens of themed games were tweaked last year to include interactive elements and more-lucrative prizes, their
Jun 30, 2005, 10:06 am - Lottery News

Anti-lottery group will file lawsuit against Mega Millions in Calif.News Story
The California Coalition Against Gambling Expansion will file a lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court within two weeks seeking an injunction to shut down the state's Mega Millions multistate lotto as unconstitutional, it said Thursday.If successful in the lawsuit, it could cost the California Lottery plenty. Possible lawsuits by the other 11 states in the game, lost startup costs, a dent in the lottery's sales-fostering integrity and other fallout could total tens of millions of dollars.Adopting
Jun 24, 2005, 10:33 am - Lottery News