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French lottery operator stock price surges after $2.1 billion IPONews Story
Includes video report Francaise des Jeux (FDJ) SAEM shares soared as much as 20% after the French lottery operator raised about 1.89 billion euros (US$2.1 billion) in the country's largest initial public offering since the 2005 sale of power producer Electricite de France SA. The government sold 52% of the company at the top of the marketed price range for institutional investors. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire hailed a spectacular success that boosts the appeal of Paris as a financial ce
Nov 24, 2019, 8:21 am - Lottery News

France sells its lottery for $2 billionNews Story
France will bank 1.8 billion euros (US$2 billion) from selling down its stake in the country's lottery operator, according to the final price set on Wednesday in a listing that will serve as a test for France's privatization push. President Emmanuel Macron's pro-business government kicked off the biggest wave of privatizations in over a decade with the initial public offering (IPO) of Francaise des Jeux (FDJ), the organization that operates the country's lottery. It is seeking to raise money
Nov 22, 2019, 9:19 am - Lottery News

Here's how much the average person spends on the lottery in every stateNews Story
Millions of Americans willingly spend their hard-earned money for a chance at an early retirement, lifelong financial security, and the extravagant lifestyle that a single lucky lottery ticket could provide. Americans spent a staggering $71.8 billion on lottery tickets in 2017 or about $285 per adult. Of course, lottery ticket spending is not the same across all states, and in some parts of the country, Americans appear much more willing to spend in the hopes of hitting the jackpot. Usin
Nov 20, 2019, 4:54 pm - Lottery News

SC residents to start receiving lottery rebate checks, even if they didn't playNews Story
South Carolina residents will be receiving rebate checks from the state lottery, even if they have never played a single lottery game before. The $50 checks are hitting mailboxes in the days to come, and the only qualification is paying South Carolina income taxes of $50 or greater. So far, 400,000 checks have been disbursed with more than 800,000 more to come by Dec. 2. What's this about? Last fall, a Simpsonville convenience store sold the winning ticket for the $1.5 billion Mega M
Nov 8, 2019, 2:20 pm - Lottery News

Bill would let Wisconsin Lottery retailers accept debit payment in addition to cashNews Story
In an age when more people are making purchases with plastic cards and digital devices, some Wisconsin lawmakers say it's time for lottery players to be able buy tickets via debit payment instead of strictly with cash. I'm thinking we need to get to the modern age with modern payment systems, which includes debit, said state Rep. Terry Katsma (R-Oostburg), one of the sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would allow debit payment for lottery tickets. But the retailers who sell the tickets an
Oct 30, 2019, 3:38 pm - Lottery News

Pa. spends $1.3M to date on search for lottery partner amid fierce competition for $1B contractNews Story
The hunt for a company to service the Pennsylvania Lottery's games and gaming system for the next decade has proven to be a contentious and costly venture. Two companies are vying for 10-year lottery servicing contracts that would pay close to $1 billion or more over the life of the deal (the contracts could be extended for two to four years). It's one of the commonwealth's most lucrative long-term contracts. The firms have engaged in a heated battle over the past year and a half as this i
Oct 22, 2019, 10:18 am - Lottery News

Students head back to campus thanks to help from the Kentucky LotteryNews Story
As college students across Kentucky head back to school, a large number of them have proceeds from Kentucky Lottery sales to help pave the way. Lottery proceeds provide every dime of the KEES scholarship ever awarded, many of which will be used at college campuses this semester. In addition, Lottery proceeds fund the need-based College Access Program and Kentucky Tuition Grants programs. All told, $3.4 billion in Kentucky Lottery proceeds have been used for the college scholarship and gran
Aug 18, 2019, 10:22 pm - Lottery News

Will R.I. Lottery win or lose in $1 billion IGT contract battle?News Story
Is it a wise move that would keep more than 1,000 high-paying jobs in Rhode Island or just the latest example of a you gotta know a guy back-room deal? Is the lottery giant IGT as Rhode Island as Del's lemonade or as British as Big Ben? In short, is the proposed no-bid, $1-billion, 20-year extension of IGT's current 20-year gambling technology contract a solid win for the Rhode Island economy or an ill-advised sweetheart deal ? As state lawmakers prepare to review the proposal this fall
Aug 13, 2019, 8:34 am - Lottery News

Pennsylvania Lottery struggles to attract bets on virtual sports gamesNews Story
The Pennsylvania Lottery has more than 1,850 outlets with screens displaying virtual animated football and auto races. The odds of finding someone watching a bet play out on the simulated sports action is pretty low. With a few exceptions, lottery licensees in the region report few customers are spending their time or money on the Xpress Sports games lottery officials introduced in August. Xpress Football offers the chance to bet from $1 to $20 each on up to 16 possible outcomes such as a
Jun 27, 2019, 11:00 am - Lottery News

The California lottery, public schools and the mystery of the 'missing' moneyNews Story
By Steve Lopez Where is the money from the lottery going? asked a reader named Jean. It never fails. Write about school funding shortages in California, and the emails start pouring in from people who insist the lottery was supposed to solve all our education money issues and wonder why it hasn't. The latest barrage came after my column last week about Measure EE, the L.A. Unified parcel tax that suffered a crushing defeat at the polls on June 4, despite a projected budget deficit in c
Jun 19, 2019, 8:00 am - Lottery News