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Mass. Lottery officials concerned about big revenue dipNews Story
The highly successful Massachusetts State Lottery experienced a $71 million decline in revenues in the first five months of the fiscal year, according to figures filed with the governor's office, sparking concern among municipal officials. Most lottery money is funneled back to the state's communities. The lottery right now is extraordinarily important to cities and towns, said Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. We're hoping that the lott
Jan 19, 2007, 12:36 pm - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery bets it can draw richer playersNews Story
It's not your average Joe Lunchbucket's state lottery anymore. The Massachusetts State Lottery is spending millions on an upscale advertising campaign aimed at reeling in upper-income folks with dreams of having even more money. Emblematic of this new, and some might say curious approach, is the Lottery's sponsorship deal with public radio station WBUR, a National Public Radio affiliate. You won't hear the latest scratch tickets hawked. But the Lottery gets a very powerful, soft sell
Dec 20, 2006, 4:09 pm - Lottery News

Millionaire lottery ticket trash-diver keeps most of prizeNews Story
The million-dollar question has been the talk of the town for months: Should an 83-year-old Blackstone man share winnings from a discarded Massachusetts Lottery jackpot-winning ticket with the man who said he accidentally threw it away? When Edward St. John found the $1 million ticket last October after sifting through a trash can at local convenience store, his answer was a resounding no. But the family of Kevin Donovan , who said he tossed the Hold 'em Poker scratch ticket, took matters t
Aug 28, 2006, 10:20 am - Lottery News

Mass. lottery addresses Asian gambling addictsNews Story
The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling is taking aim at a new group Asian gamblers. The council is dedicating $100,000 from the state Lottery to the new effort, the largest amount they've ever used to address a single demographic group. Executive director Kathleen Scanlon says compulsive gambling is a problem in the Asian community. Casinos have been aggressively marketing to Asians in recent years. Former counselor Ming Chang has worked with Asian gambling addicts and sa
Aug 23, 2006, 4:06 pm - Lottery News

Keno sales surge across MassacusettsNews Story
The regular clientele who stop the Eddie Coyle's Roadhouse Tavern in Dracut for a bite to eat after work are looking for some laughs and a family-friendly atmosphere. There are also several pairs of eyes watching a Keno television monitor as a series of 20 numbers pops up on the screen, hoping they will be the ones to go home a few dollars richer. It's a recreational thing people are just playing because it's something to do while they converse or have their meal, said Leslie Cox, th
Jul 10, 2006, 8:03 am - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery to target younger playersNews Story
State Lottery officials are wagering a new advertising campaign will persuade young adults to take a chance on the Numbers Game, a contest with an aging player population. The state Lottery Commission last week extended its contract with advertising firm Hill Holliday of Boston for one year at $10 million, Executive Director Joseph Sullivan said. Part of the strategy will be to focus advertising in a place where Lottery officials believe they can reach more people in their 30s and 40s th
Jul 7, 2006, 6:50 am - Lottery News

Clash over $1 million lottery ticket outlives buyerNews Story
What are the odds that a man could throw away a $1 million scratch ticket, lose his father and then his own life all in four months' time? The regulars who play their lottery tickets here at the White Hen Pantry grocery now shrug away the misfortune that started at the counter last October for one of their own, Kevin Donovan, as if bowing to the vagaries of luck they gamble against each day. But Donovan's run of bad luck has outlived him. Last fall, he filed a claim against the elder
Jun 19, 2006, 7:35 pm - Lottery News

Mass. Lottery licenses regainedNews Story
The Massachusetts Lottery Commission has reinstated operating licenses for seven of the 11 bars or clubs that were suspended last month after poker slot machines were confiscated May 3 in state police raids. In all, 38 poker video slot machines were seized by state police, along with $10,000 in cash, in the coordinated raids on 15 bars or clubs here, in Springfield and Chicopee. Although no criminal charges have been filed, the Lottery Commission quickly issued the suspensions. Lottery sp
Jun 15, 2006, 1:06 pm - Lottery News

Family sues lottery ticket finderNews Story
Winner picked ticket out of the trash, family rejected offer of one-third of jackpot The heirs of a Blackstone man who tossed away a $1 million scratch ticket are suing the man who picked it out of the garbage, alleging he stole it. Daniel Donovan, the executor of his father Kevin Donovan's estate, filed suit May 26 against Edward St. John, who found the ticket, and Joseph Sullivan, the executive director of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. The lawsuit, filed in Worcester Sup
Jun 14, 2006, 8:09 am - Lottery News

Record Mass. Lottery sales, despite high fuel pricesNews Story
Bob Hurtubise mused Thursday about what he would do if he hit it big on a Lottery game. The Ashburnham, Massachusetts, resident would buy a nice house and secure savings for his kids, he said. I'll play a quick pick on big number games, Hurtubise said. But I'll just play one. If you're doing any more than that, you're just making donations. Now that gas prices have reached nearly $3 per gallon, he guessed more people will hold onto their cash for other expenses. That money's
Jun 12, 2006, 7:42 am - Lottery News