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$205K settlement reached, then rejected, in CT Lottery whistleblower caseNews Story
Old disputes die hard at the Connecticut Lottery Corp. Here is the story of one of them. A bitter legal dispute between the CLC and one of its former top officials was on the verge of being resolved 2 months ago. The opposing parties signed off March 10 on truce terms ranging from a $205,000 settlement price down to the exact wording of a script that would be read to any news reporter who asked about the case. Signing a sheet of paper outlining the settlement terms were lottery CEO Greg Sm
May 22, 2020, 10:51 am - Lottery News

Daughter saves Massachusetts man from being victimized in sweepstakes scamNews Story
A dream of a lifetime seemed to have come true last week for an elderly Massachusetts man when he received a call from someone who claimed to represent Publisher's Clearing House. The caller told the elderly Swampscott man he had just won $8.5 million plus a brand new Chevrolet in their national lottery. All he needed to do, the caller told him, was to pay the $45,000 taxes due on the money and the prize would be his. It didn't occur to the man being scammed that the tax bill on $8.5 milli
Mar 19, 2020, 10:36 am - Lottery News

Oklahoma tribe says state lottery 'second chance' game violates compactsNews Story
Oklahoma's expansion of the lottery and other forms of gaming violates the compacts tribes have with the state, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes said in a court brief filed Tuesday. Tribes sued Gov. Kevin Stitt on Dec. 31, alleging the gaming compacts automatically renewed. A federal judge has ordered mediation over whether the compacts expired Jan. 1, as Stitt believes, and that continued operation of Class III gaming is now illegal. The governor is seeking to increase the exclusivity fe
Mar 18, 2020, 8:26 pm - Lottery News

Michigan Lottery has few options to stop players who spend millionsNews Story
In June 2017, Viktor Gjonaj walked into a sleepy retail strip on Dequindre Road in Sterling Heights. He wasn't heading for the massage parlor, or the small Indian and Pakistani grocery store or restaurant or the hair salon. Instead, he went into the Michigan Lottery claim center at the northern edge of Sherwood Plaza. There, he showed his driver's license and Social Security card, completed a claim form, and left $2.5 million richer with a check cut to him as the prize for the 500 winning
Mar 9, 2020, 9:23 am - Lottery News

S.C. man loses more than $140K to 'you've won the lottery' scamNews Story
Includes video report Deputies say a man lost more than $140,000 to a lottery scam in York County, South Carolina. The resident was scammed out of $143,500 via the common you've won the lottery scam. In this case, deputies say two suspects a Ben Washington and Shirley Marsh informed the victim he had won $2.8 million. Shirley reportedly told the victim to send $3,500 to an address in Emporia, Kansas to be able to receive the money. After that money was sent, deputies say the scam
Feb 28, 2020, 10:31 am - Lottery News

Pa. store clerk accused of stealing over $17K worth of lottery ticketsNews Story
Police in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, say a woman stole more than $17,000 worth of lottery tickets from a Sheetz store where she worked. According to a criminal complaint, 37-year-old Cheryl Delawder was confronted by her manager after she was seen on video taking tickets from the lottery machines. Police say during an interview, Delawder admitted to police to stealing the tickets and cashing them out at different locations. According to the complaint, Delawder told police she had been steal
Feb 27, 2020, 5:00 am - Lottery News

California man pleads guilty to Latina grandmothers lottery scamNews Story
A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge for targeting Latina grandmothers in Long Beach and throughout Southern California in a scam involving a fake winning lottery ticket. Tito Lozada, 50, faces sentencing May 11 on a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Two of three additional defendants previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and are awaiting sentencing in Los Angeles federal court. L
Feb 25, 2020, 1:39 pm - Lottery News

Thief yanks entire lottery ticket displays from two California businessesNews Story
Includes video report A lightning quick lottery ticket thief tried his luck twice, yanking California Lottery Scratchers display cases from counters in bold heists that were caught on camera at two San Gabriel Valley businesses. The crimes were reported Jan. 22 at Smoke Rings 4 and Daily Donut in San Dimas. Store security video shows the man, dressed in athletic wear, grab the Scratchers displays in a bear hug before sprinting away, leaving a flurry of lottery tickets in his wake. Both
Feb 20, 2020, 11:31 am - Lottery News

Lottery industry facing new threat in 'skill' gamesNews Story
State lotteries are grappling with the rapid spread of unregulated skill gaming machines, which are found in convenience stores, bars, restaurants and taverns across the country. While these machines have existed for some time, their manufacturers and operators have become increasingly aggressive in their roll out strategy, placing these machines in the front of stores and even replacing lottery self-service terminals with them. Individual lotteries predict these machines could reduce their r
Feb 19, 2020, 9:34 am - Lottery News

Pa. Lottery blames growth of skill games, lack of big jackpots for drop in profitsNews Story
The growing proliferation of so-called skill games at Pennsylvania Lottery retailers are having an impact on the lottery's ability to generate revenue to pay for programs for senior citizens, a lottery official told state lawmakers on Tuesday. Lottery executive director Drew Svitko told lawmakers skill games could lead to a $200 million decline in scratch-off ticket sales this year. That is a bigger loss than the $115 million hit last year. Svitko attributed the higher projection to the ri
Feb 18, 2020, 7:06 pm - Lottery News