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Man with terminal illness wins 20-year annuity lottery jackpotNews Story
In December, Wayne Schenk was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. A month later, he was a millionaire. The 50-year-old tavern owner from Naples, New York, won a million dollars in a New York state lottery scratch-off game. But the Marine Corps veteran doesn't expect to be around to collect all his winnings. To do that, he would have to live 20 years. His doctors have given him a year to live, at most. Under lottery rules for the High Stakes Blackjack game he won on January 12, the jack
Feb 1, 2007, 6:50 pm - Lottery News

Company running most lottery games worldwide has history of scandalNews Story
The company behind the more than 16,000 machines that spit out New York Lottery tickets has been linked to scandals across the country and around the globe. Bribery allegations led a co-founder to quit his job as chairman. Its lobbyists have run afoul of the law in several states, including New York. Former government officials have received lucrative consulting contracts. And in summer 2006, an investigation in Texas found that the company, GTECH Holdings Corp., doled out tens of millions
Jan 31, 2007, 5:30 am - Lottery News

Successful lottery winners don't change too muchNews Story
Eleven years after hitting a $1 million jackpot in the New York Lottery's 7-11-21 game, Agnes Jackman got some free advice on how to handle her winnings. In a 1991 Money magazine cover story titled Midway Through a Million, financial planner Gary Schatsky suggested investing in money market funds, certificates of deposit and U.S. government bonds. He also told Jackman to stop spending money on lottery tickets. She rejected his guidance. And now, seven years after cashing her last inst
Jan 31, 2007, 4:39 am - Lottery News

Nationwide, lotteries struggle to stay competitiveNews Story
Lotteries across the country are struggling to remain competitive, retaining their players while increasing their bottom lines. Last year, 25 U.S. lotteries reported increased sales, but New York's lottery was one of six that had higher profits. One key to New York's success is that the New York Lottery continues to attempt to be fun and entertaining, said former Lottery Director Nancy Palumbo, who was interviewed before leaving the division late last year. We're constantly challenged to
Jan 31, 2007, 4:03 am - Lottery News

N.Y. Lottery: We've got a game for youNews Story
Whether you're looking for instant gratification or prefer to dream big with millions in the bank, the New York Lottery has a game for you. Lottery machines spew out tickets that could be worth millions of dollars if the astronomical odds are beaten. Store counters often have racks displaying dozens of colorful choices for those wanting instant scratch-off tickets. Some people play their favorite numbers twice a day, fearing their Daily Number will surely come in if they skip a bet.
Jan 31, 2007, 3:24 am - Lottery News

Meet Yolanda Vega, the lottery queenNews Story
One of the most famous names in New York started out as a bookkeeper in Brooklyn. Little did Yolanda Antequera know that one day, she would be introducing herself nightly as Yolannnn daVegaaaa, the most well-known spokeswoman for the New York Lottery. Born in Brooklyn in 1960, Yolanda had a typical childhood that she says was greatly influenced by a close-knit, loving family that included her five sisters. She attended Hunter College and received a bachelor's degree in economics in 1982.
Jan 31, 2007, 1:45 am - Lottery News

Lottery foes try to restrict gambling, with little successNews Story
Some New York lawmakers want the state to tell lottery-ticket buyers how slim the odds are of winning, and raise the gambling age from 18 to 21 to try to discourage gambling sprees. But those who oppose change have a ready rejoinder: The state is, in effect, addicted to the billions in revenue that Lottery games generate. The status quo is likely to prevail. If you put in the ad 'The New York Lottery jackpot is now $10 million' and in the next graph say the odds of wining are 1 in 12 m
Jan 31, 2007, 12:51 am - Lottery News

N.Y. casinos don't see lottery as a threatNews Story
Since casino gambling began in New York in 1993, the increased competition for those gaming dollars hasn't seemed to hurt sales of New York Lottery tickets, which saw a record $6.8 billion in sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006. Sales have been incredibly strong, said former Lottery Director Nancy Palumbo, who left the lottery late last year. New York's lottery, the most popular in the country, had an increase in sales of 7 percent in 2005-06. Officials from the four largest ca
Jan 30, 2007, 11:15 pm - Lottery News

Lottery revenue important to a host of businessesNews Story
If the New York Lottery vanished tomorrow, many store owners would suffer. Their businesses rely on the 6 percent commission they get from lottery sales. I would not be in business without the lottery, said Mike Palencar, who owns two convenience stores in Webster, N.Y. He estimates that lottery commissions amount to just 5 percent of his stores' total profit. But sales commissions aren't the only benefit for the lottery's 16,000 vendors statewide. People coming to the stores to buy lott
Jan 30, 2007, 10:36 pm - Lottery News

With the N.Y. Lottery, money flows upriverNews Story
The New York Lottery isn't just a game in Herkimer County. With a dwindling tax base and shrinking corporate presence, most of the rural county's school districts rely heavily on annual distributions from the Lottery to stay afloat. One of every 10 dollars spent on education in the county comes from state-sanctioned games of chance. Districts such as ours are high-need, low-income and low-wealth in property values, said Robert Service, superintendent of the Ilion Central School District,
Jan 30, 2007, 9:45 pm - Lottery News