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N.Y. man's lottery fortune hurts home town state aidNews Story
Good fortune smiled on Richard Loveless in 2015, when the retired electrician won a $42.5 million lottery prize, but those winnings are bringing headaches to the Port Byron School District. Loveless' winnings pushed up the school district's total wealth, as calculated by the state's school aid formulas. It bumped Port Byron from being one of New York's poorest school districts to one that's almost middle class, said Neil O'Brien, Port Byron's superintendent. I'm thrilled he won. I play th
Jul 18, 2017, 10:45 am - Lottery News

Texas plan would tap lottery revenue for teacher bonusesNews Story
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Thursday unveiled a plan to boost teacher pay beyond the $1,000 raise called for by Gov. Greg Abbott, and to ultimately pay for it by requiring school districts to reallocate existing funds and, if voters agree, earmarking the first $700 million in lottery money, that already goes to education, for teacher salaries. Patrick compared his plan, which he hopes to see enacted at the special session that gets underway Tuesday, to what he called House Speaker Joe Straus' Ponzi
Jul 13, 2017, 3:21 pm - Lottery News

Oklahoma Lottery boosts prizes to lure back playersNews Story
Oklahoma lottery officials are rolling out a new series of games after lawmakers restructured the system this year. The state lottery, which has seen diminished participation with its scratch-off cards in recent years, is now able to increase prize amounts. As participation dwindled, officials had to shrink prize amounts because state law required that at least 35 percent of all proceeds be diverted to the Education Trust Fund. In 2013, the Lottery lowered payouts so it could comply with t
Jul 5, 2017, 7:48 am - Lottery News

Maine loses Powerball, Mega Millions during state closureNews Story
After Saturday night, Maine residents will not be able to purchase some multi-state lottery games, such as Powerball and Mega Millions, until the state shutdown ends, state officials announced Saturday. At convenience stores in Portland on Saturday, a bright red screen flashed with Breaking News near cash registers, letting customers know that they had until 9:30 p.m. to purchase Hot Lotto tickets and 9:50 p.m. to buy Powerball tickets. Mega Millions and Lucky for Life stopped being sold on F
Jul 2, 2017, 9:12 am - Lottery News

N.J. Lottery remains operational during state closureNews Story
By Todd Northrop Even though the New Jersey state government has closed due to a budget impasse, the state lottery remains fully operational. During the closure, the sale of all games offered by the New Jersey Lottery will remain available for purchase. The game drawings for all online games offered through the Lottery, including Pick 3, Pick 4, Jersey Cash 5, Pick 6, 5 Card Cash, and Cash4Life, will be conducted, posted on Livestream and aired on television, PHL17 and PIX11, as per sta
Jul 1, 2017, 12:23 pm - Lottery News

Washington Lottery to shut down if lawmakers can't agree on budgetNews Story
Winners will be unable to claim prizes during shutdown Washington's Lottery will suspend all operations if lawmakers can't pass the state's operating budget by midnight on Friday, June 30, 2017. That means no Lottery tickets will be sold, and no winning tickets will be redeemed in the state of Washington for any game until the shutdown is over. This includes Scratch games, jackpot games and multi-state jackpot games such as Powerball and Mega Millions. Washington's Lottery will also
Jun 30, 2017, 8:01 am - Lottery News

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

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

Lottery vending machines in Kansas may depend on whether lawmakers show up MondayNews Story
Your ability to buy lottery tickets from vending machines in Kansas may depend on how many lawmakers show up for the ceremonial last day of the session Monday. A bill allowing the Kansas Lottery to use vending machines to sell tickets was vetoed by Gov. Sam Brownback last week. The Legislature approved House Bill 2313 earlier this month with margins far greater than the two-thirds needed to override the veto. The House passed the bill 98-19; the Senate passed it 34-4. But because the fi
Jun 22, 2017, 5:47 pm - 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