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Tough economy?  Some cut back on lottery tickets, wageringNews Story
As gas pump prices and grocery store bills rise, customer service representative Rita Herron has been paying attention to where her money goes, and that means decreasing from 10 to two lottery tickets a week. I pay more for gas, and so I have less money left for tickets, Herron said. Everything is going up. Throughout the country, 20 lotteries, including California, have reported flat or declining sales, according to data from La Fleur's Magazine, a lottery trade publication, and state l
Jun 15, 2008, 1:39 pm - Lottery News

California Gov. calls for expanding, privatizing lotteryNews Story
Massively expanded lottery revenues are key to Schwarzenegger's budget plan Called the lottery an underperforming asset Anxious to avoid deep cuts in education spending, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday proposed dramatically expanding the state lottery and slashing entitlement programs, to help close a budget gap now pegged at $17.2 billion. Schwarzenegger hopes to win voter support in November for a deal to obtain $15 billion from Wall Street firms, to be repaid from what the g
May 16, 2008, 8:41 am - Lottery News

Arkansas watches as Tenn rethinks lottery scholarshipsNews Story
If Lt. Gov. Bill Halter's push for a state lottery is successful, Arkansas legislators may want to consider Tennessee's dilemma before writing rules for spending proceeds that would be earmarked exclusively for college scholarships. Arkansas' eastern neighbor is struggling with what to do with an unintended $460 million surplus from that state's version of a scholarship lottery. Part of the problem is that many scholarship recipients have not been able to maintain grades good enough to keep t
Apr 14, 2008, 10:21 am - Lottery News

As Fla. lottery sales slow, schools stand to loseNews Story
Penny-pinching Floridians aren't playing the lottery as much as expected, and that's bad news for state legislators trying to minimize school budget cuts next year. Lackluster ticket sales have prompted state economists to reduce their projection for this year's sales by $47 million. They also scaled back projections for the next two years by $159 million. The news just gets better and better, huh? said a wry Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, the House budget chairman. The lower predictions
Apr 14, 2008, 8:46 am - Lottery News

Tennessee Gov. wants to spend lottery reserveNews Story
Excess money would be distributed to school districts Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday the state lottery's huge cash reserves need to be distributed. Bredesen, a Democrat, has abandoned last year's proposal to create a $100 million pool that would have served as collateral to improve credit ratings for school districts, he told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday. The legislature wanted to spend it, they didn't want to put it aside to enhance credit, Bredesen said.
Jan 11, 2008, 7:12 am - Lottery News

Student wins lottery, leaves schoolNews Story
A college student withdrew from school after winning the 5 million yuan ($683,000) jackpot in a lottery in China's eastern city of Nanjing, local media reported on Thursday. The second-year student at the Jiangsu Maritime Institute, identified by the nickname Yong to protect his identity, was the sole first-prize winner in the Double Color Ball issued by the China Welfare Lottery on Tuesday, the Beijing News said. After winning the lottery, Yong told his roommates that he would share 2
Dec 30, 2007, 11:23 am - Lottery News

Texas students rank USA lotteriesNews Story
California, Pennsylvania best; Tennessee worst Gerald Busald is at it again. For more than a decade, the 65-year-old math professor at San Antonio College has turned scrutiny of the Texas Lottery into a classroom project. Armed with calculators, Busald and his students have exposed false advertising, attracted the media spotlight and sparked change. This year, Busald and his students are aiming beyond Texas. On Friday, they unveiled a ranking of every lottery in the United States based
Dec 20, 2007, 7:34 pm - Lottery News

Georgia Lottery bonuses stir lawmakers into actionNews Story
The Georgia Lottery board's decision to hand out nearly $3 million in bonuses to employees this year has lawmakers vowing to put new controls on the corporation. Senate Majority Whip Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) filed legislation Friday that would give lawmakers appointments to the Lottery Corp. board. Currently, the governor appoints the board. His bill, which will be considered during the 2008 session, also would mandate that all Lottery Corp. spending, including employee bonuses, be appro
Dec 14, 2007, 10:54 pm - Lottery News

Georgia lawmakers question lottery bonusesNews Story
Top Georgia Republicans are calling for a review of the bonuses awarded to Georgia Lottery officials. Georgia Lottery President Margaret DeFrancisco and her employees collected nearly $3 million dollars in bonuses this year, a sum that has mystified Georgia legislators who three years ago tightened requirements for the lottery-funded HOPE scholarship. House Higher Education Committee Chair Bill Hembree called the figures insane and Senate Majority Whip Mitch Seabaugh said he wanted to re
Dec 3, 2007, 8:38 am - Lottery News

$26 million in winning Michigan lottery tickets unclaimedNews Story
Keep an eye out for old state lottery tickets while rummaging through drawers and closets for holiday decorations. Millions of dollars are going unclaimed, and you don't want to lose out. More than $26 million worth of winning tickets were never redeemed in the fiscal year that ended in September. Another $2 million was lost in October. And since the lottery began 35 years ago, an eye-popping $512 million has gone unclaimed. Today, the one-year clock is ticking on a number of sizable win
Nov 27, 2007, 10:48 am - Lottery News