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Illinois Lottery to again delay large payouts due to budget woesNews Story
Powerball and Mega Millions going bye-bye too Illinois Lottery players should prepare for a bit of deja vu with a twist if Illinois leaders don't pass a budget by Friday night. Not only will the popular Powerball and Mega Millions tickets be off the shelf, but also any big winners of any of the other draw or instant games will have to wait to collect their cash. The Illinois Lottery announced Tuesday that, without a budget or any special legislation, it won't be able to pay anyone winni
Jun 27, 2017, 7:40 pm - Lottery News

Network of dummy online stores used to hide internet gambling paymentsNews Story
A network of dummy online stores offering household goods has been used as a front for internet gambling payments, according to a recent investigation. The seven sites, operated out of Europe, purport to sell items including fabric, DVD cases, maps, gift wrap, mechanical tape, pin badges and flags. In fact, they are fake outlets, part of a multinational system to disguise payments for the $40 billion global online gambling industry, which is illegal in many countries and some U.S. states.
Jun 26, 2017, 6:55 am - Lottery News

Mississippi lottery panel visits neighboring states to garner informationNews Story
Trips to neighboring states to observe their lottery operations have shed light on the types of decisions that must be made should Mississippi opt to enact a lottery, two Northeast Mississippi legislators recently said. Reps. Mac Huddleston, R-Pontotoc, and Nick Bain, D-Corinth, made trips to Little Rock last week as members of a task force created by House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, to study the issues surrounding the lottery. Other members of the committee made a similar trip to Baton
Jun 25, 2017, 9:55 am - Lottery News

Pa. seniors worry expanded gambling will hurt lottery proceedsNews Story
A bill passed in the Pennsylvania House would allow casino-style gambling in airports, veterans halls, and truck stops. Now, seniors are worried if it were to become law, that less lottery money would fund programs for the elderly. They are not the only ones who are concerned. There are 18,000 people in the state who are employed by casinos like Mohegan Sun in Plains Township. Opponents of the bill say those jobs could be cut if it were to become law. The bill to make electronic games o
Jun 22, 2017, 7:55 am - Lottery News

Oklahoma Lottery revamping after lawmakers pass legislation to increase prizesNews Story
The Oklahoma Lottery is revamping its products and marketing strategy in light of a recent law change removing the requirement that 35 percent of its profits go to education. The changes were discussed Tuesday during a meeting of the Lottery Commission. Supporters of House Bill 1837, which was signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin, say the removal of the 35 percent requirement will increase prizes, resulting in more players and more funding for education. The change in the law means the l
Jun 21, 2017, 7:42 am - Lottery News

Illinois lottery players may lose Powerball and Mega Millions at the end of JuneNews Story
Legislation's refusal to deliver balanced budget threatens to cut off popular multi-state games The association that runs the popular Powerball lottery and Mega Millions games will drop Illinois at the end of June without a budget agreement. Concern over the state of Illinois' fiscal condition prompted that decision by the Multi-State Lottery Association, according to internal Illinois Lottery communications. Illinois Lottery spokesman Jason Schaumburg on Thursday morning confirmed that
Jun 15, 2017, 3:52 pm - Lottery News

Iowa Lottery investigation highlights difficult balance between security and profitsNews Story
For more than a year while he worked at the Brick Street Market in Bondurant, Iowa, Matthew Hinrichs quietly stole lottery tickets, cashing in at least $28,000 in illegitimate prize money, prosecutors say. When he was finally caught in 2016, Hinrichs pleaded guilty to two felony counts of fraud and was ordered to pay back those winnings, plus nearly $5,000 more. Lottery officials say their layers of security allowed them to track Hinrichs' activity, providing data that was invaluable to pr
Jun 6, 2017, 2:48 pm - Lottery News

New Mexico reduces college scholarships funded by lotteryNews Story
Lottery given minimal flexibility to increase sales College scholarships funded by New Mexico lottery proceeds will cover 60 percent of tuition costs for the next school year down from 90 percent as state education officials announced changes Wednesday aimed at stretching dwindling revenue for the financial aid program. The lottery-based scholarships help pay tuition for about 26,000 students at public universities, four-year colleges and two-year community colleges throughout the state. N
May 31, 2017, 3:58 pm - Lottery News

Oklahoma governor approves increased lottery payoutsNews Story
Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation Tuesday that could lead to higher Oklahoma Lottery prize amounts and higher revenue to education. Lottery officials believe the law will spur more purchases of instant-win scratcher tickets, which in turn will boost funding for public schools, CareerTech institutions, colleges and universities. House Bill 1837 doesn't affect the multi-state lottery games like Powerball, but people who buy scratch-off tickets should see a change in July. The Oklahoma L
May 3, 2017, 3:34 pm - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery has problem paying online winnersNews Story
Includes video report It's the worst case scenario for any avid lottery player you play and win, then have to fight for your money. One of Jack Kielczynski's retirement pastimes is playing the Illinois Lottery: Pick 3 game online. And he's been doing fairly well the last month. As his winnings added up, the retired police officer decided to cash in on about $1,600, which dated back to April 16th. The winnings were supposed to be transferred directly into his checking account. However, a
May 2, 2017, 9:02 am - Lottery News