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Wait times for lottery prize payouts doubled in CaliforniaNews Story
Lottery anticipates return to normal claims operations later this year By Kate Northrop Lottery players are continuing to win big in California but are having to wait twice the amount of time it normally takes to receive their check, with some waiting more than three months. Since late June, lottery prize payouts have slowed to a crawl in California as the Lottery adjusts its operations during the ongoing pandemic. Normally, the processing time for claims is four to six weeks,
Aug 12, 2021, 12:31 pm - Lottery News

California woman destroys $26 million lottery ticket in the laundryNews Story
Clean clothes but a multi-million dollar mistake By Kate Northrop An unnamed woman who bought a California Lottery SuperLotto Plus ticket worth a whopping $26 million almost six months ago admitted that she accidentally laundered it immediately after buying it and stuffing it in her pocket. The woman purchased the ticket at the ARCO am/pm convenience store on East Imperial Highway in Norwalk for a SuperLotto Plus drawing that took place on Nov. 14, 2020 before entirely ruining her chanc
May 17, 2021, 10:00 am - Lottery News

Calif. man who spent $60K on lottery tickets wins $6 million jackpotNews Story
Dedicated player finally gets a return on his investment after 30 years By Kate Northrop A California resident's persistence has finally paid off, and it only took 30 years of commitment and dedication. The devoted player's tenacity landed him a $6 million jackpot after he had collectively spent around $60,000 on lottery tickets. Like any fan of the lottery, Jerry Murray of Newcastle has always dreamed of winning a huge prize. After spending about $60,000 on lottery tickets in the past
Oct 13, 2020, 3:35 pm - Lottery News

Former NBA player credits homeless man's good will for $300,000 lottery prizeNews Story
Basketball star says homeless man predicted his lucky win By Kate Northrop On May 12, Gilbert Arenas rushed out of the house to play his lucky numbers at his favorite gas station before it closed for the day. Along the way, a mix of good will, misfortune and luck brought him a Mega Millions 2nd prize of $309,694. Arenas recounted his good fortune in an Instagram post. Soon after leaving his home, Arenas realized his car did not have enough gas to get him to the station. He also forgo
May 19, 2020, 1:12 pm - Lottery News

California lottery closes office after Sacramento employee tests positive for coronavirusNews Story
The California Lottery has closed its Sacramento office to employees after one of them tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a staff email the lottery sent on Friday night. The email said an employee of the district was tested earlier this month and received a positive test result for COVID-19 on Friday. The employee has not been to the Sacramento district office since the first week of March, according to the email. The Lottery closed all nine of its district offices to the
Mar 29, 2020, 7:45 pm - Lottery News

California lottery shorted schools by $36 million, auditor saysNews Story
The California lottery skimped on giving $36 million in revenue to fund public education and spent $720,000 on food and travel expenses without considering cheaper options, the state auditor said in a report made public Tuesday. Sales from scratch and lotto tickets have funded public schools and colleges in California since 1985. But the lottery should have accounted for an increase in profits during the fiscal year that ended in June 2018 by turning over an additional $36 million to finance
Feb 27, 2020, 4:35 am - Lottery News

California man pleads guilty to Latina grandmothers lottery scamNews Story
A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge for targeting Latina grandmothers in Long Beach and throughout Southern California in a scam involving a fake winning lottery ticket. Tito Lozada, 50, faces sentencing May 11 on a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Two of three additional defendants previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and are awaiting sentencing in Los Angeles federal court. L
Feb 25, 2020, 1:39 pm - Lottery News

Thief yanks entire lottery ticket displays from two California businessesNews Story
Includes video report A lightning quick lottery ticket thief tried his luck twice, yanking California Lottery Scratchers display cases from counters in bold heists that were caught on camera at two San Gabriel Valley businesses. The crimes were reported Jan. 22 at Smoke Rings 4 and Daily Donut in San Dimas. Store security video shows the man, dressed in athletic wear, grab the Scratchers displays in a bear hug before sprinting away, leaving a flurry of lottery tickets in his wake. Both
Feb 20, 2020, 11:31 am - Lottery News

California Lottery under fire for giving away $212,500 in Scratchers on 'Ellen'News Story
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres drew wild cheers from the studio audience of her television talk show in December when she announced each person in attendance would receive a $500 bundle of Scratchers tickets from the California State Lottery. Lottery officials saw it as a publicity boon, but a whistleblower complaint filed by some lottery employees argues the agency's giveaway of the tickets which have a combined face value of $212,500 should be investigated as a misuse of funds, according to docum
Feb 6, 2020, 5:32 pm - Lottery News

California lottery reps are afraid of being attacked — so they asked for unmarked carsNews Story
A San Francisco carjacking that targeted a California public employee and ended in a police shooting caught Paulina Vasquez's attention two years ago. It was what Vasquez, an SEIU Local 1000 steward for California Lottery sales representatives, feared would happen after the department decided to put the State of California seal on their vans. The department added the stickers to the plain white vans six years ago despite protests from workers who were concerned about their safety. Now the
Dec 20, 2019, 3:44 pm - Lottery News