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Idaho Lottery pays out $26M dividend to schoolsNews Story
Since 1989 Idahoans have bought $1.3 billion worth of lottery tickets and scratch games in hopes of hitting the big jackpot. Tuesday, the Idaho Lottery Commission announced another winner Idaho's schools. In its 2005 fiscal report, the lottery commission reports a record-setting dividend last year that saw $26 million go to Idaho's public schools and buildings. That money was divided among the state's 114 school districts, and paid for the completion of 82 projects. In 2005, Ad
Mar 16, 2006, 7:57 am - Lottery News

N.C. lottery director says lower payouts could hurt salesNews Story
The law requiring the North Carolina lottery to return at least 35 percent of all ticket sales to state education programs could inhibit sales and ultimately cost the state money, according to the lottery's executive director and other experts. To meet the requirement, North Carolina will pay out less to winners than neighboring states offer. Tom Shaheen, director of the state lottery and a past president of the North American lottery trade association, said that could mean fewer tickets ar
Mar 9, 2006, 7:18 am - Lottery News

Oregon store owner gives share of lottery prize to the schoolsNews Story
The owner of a Medford, Oregon, grocery store has donated his share of an $800,000 lottery prize to two elementary schools. Sherm's Thunderbird market received $4,000 for selling the winning ticket, but owner Sherm Olsrud split the money into two equal gifts of $2,000 to a pair of elementary schools. Olsrud says the schools need the money because both are located in low income areas of town and that many children get their only meals at school. Schools officials say they will use the
Mar 8, 2006, 9:45 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery funding controversy widensNews Story
The North Carolina Lottery has not yet started, and already Gov. Mike Easley may be doing what lottery watchdogs feared would happen: Easley is looking to replace funding on existing state programs with lottery revenues, rather than putting the new-found revenue toward new projects. Easley's staff on Wednesday defended his plans for spending money from the new state lottery, saying the governor would not use lottery funds to replace tax money that's already going to education. Some critics,
Feb 16, 2006, 8:33 am - Lottery News

Tenn. Senator seeks more funds for lottery scholarsNews Story
A state lawmaker's crusade to increase the amount of Tennessee's lottery scholarships is raising concerns among his colleagues and the governor, who say giving full scholarships this early in the program may create a financial crisis down the road.Sen. Steve Cohen, the main sponsor of the bill that created the scholarships last year, said he wants them to fully cover tuition at the state's colleges and universities.Currently, scholarships cover about 75% of students' tuition and fees.Cohen, a Me
Dec 28, 2005, 7:54 am - Lottery News

Wealthiest schools lose out in Okla. LotteryNews Story
Eight public school districts aren't receiving any of the $75 million allocated to common education this year from Oklahoma's lottery and racetrack/tribal casino laws.The reason: The schools are considered independently rich from local taxes on property and oil and gas production.That means those districts must use local money exclusively to fund teacher pay raises and full-day kindergarten, the two main programs Gov. Brad Henry cited in lauding the state's gambling partnership.Several other dis
Dec 26, 2005, 11:39 am - Lottery News

N.C. Lottery misunderstandings could derail bondsNews Story
The new North Carolina lottery is supposed to help fund education, but local school officials and advocates are worried that the newly created state game could shut off a vital source of funding. Our worry is that the public will see the lottery as being this great boon and will say, 'Well, we don't need to vote for this bond. The lottery will take care of it,' said Margaret Arbuckle, director of the Guilford Education Alliance, a business group that is a booster for public schools.Bonds are n
Dec 26, 2005, 9:33 am - Lottery News

Lottery: Promises and pitfallsNews Story
A look at problems and solutions of some state lotteries, as North Carolina leaders try to predict their own problems to come.Art Johnson isn't a big gambler but plays the Florida lottery on occasion. No, not because it will help the Palm Beach County School District, where he is superintendent. I want to win, Johnson said with a laugh.Ask him about the lottery's funding for education and Johnson is a lot less jovial. I'm unimpressed, said the former principal and school board member who now h
Dec 26, 2005, 8:42 am - Lottery News

Tennessee Lottery amasses $200 million surplusNews Story
A $200 million state surplus of unspent lottery money is prompting some to call for Tennessee to increase the amount of the scholarships the lottery money funds.Currently, the Tennessee Lottery has turned over to the state a surplus of $200 million worth of unspent money the lottery has collected through ticket sales.Gov. Phil Bredesen and other officials say the surplus is necessary to support the scholarship program if it was to have a bad sales year.But state Sen. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis), a l
Nov 14, 2005, 8:57 am - Lottery News

Will gamble on lottery revenue pay off for N.C.?News Story
Research shows more money goes to schools, but ad blitz may have unintended costs The states now offering lotteries do not simply make a product available in order to accommodate the widespread taste for buying a low-priced chance at a big prize. They seek to foster that taste. ...The state lottery agencies have in fact evolved into a new breed of government agency created in the mold of the modern corporation with its eyes firmly fixed on the bottom line. So wrote Charles Clotfelter and Philip
Sep 19, 2005, 12:27 pm - Lottery News