Search

Ontario Lottery scraps privatization planNews Story
The Canadian province of Ontario has scrapped plans to privatize its state-run lottery business. In a statement issued on Friday, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp (OLG) announced that it had cancelled its request for proposals (RFP) for private operators interested in taking over management of its lottery operations, which generated sales of C$3.8b (US$2.9b) in fiscal 2015-16. Ontario's ruling Liberal government had issued the RFP in 2014, which generated bids from established gaming co
Sep 26, 2016, 8:38 pm - Lottery News

NJ Lottery private operator on track to meet budget projectionsNews Story
Turnaround for Northstar after two years of missed targets Increased sales mean New Jersey's lottery contribution to the state budget is on track to meet its target for 2016 after falling short the first two years of a long-term contract with a private operator. The operator of the lottery's sales and marketing, Northstar New Jersey, is budgeted to return $1 billion to the state to help fund programs for education, disabled veterans and senior citizens. Through the first three months of th
Oct 16, 2015, 10:22 am - Lottery News

Illinois fires lottery operator NorthstarNews Story
Will continue to operate lottery for more than a year The nation's first private company to manage a state lottery was fired Friday by the Illinois Governor after years of failing to make the lofty revenue targets it promised. In a news release Friday, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced that his office had reached a termination agreement with Northstar Lottery Group that will remove the firm as private manager as of Jan. 1, 2017, or until a replacement is chosen. The agreement also stipulated
Sep 19, 2015, 10:48 am - Lottery News

Ohio Lottery to conduct review of operationsNews Story
Not a move to privatization, officials say State officials say there are no plans to privatize the Ohio Lottery Commission amid a pending top-to-bottom review of its management and a document holding out privatized state lotteries as models of interest. A state request for proposals issued on Aug. 24 seeks a consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of the lottery and recommend ways to contain costs and maximize profits, which largely are routed to public schools. One part of the do
Sep 3, 2015, 7:39 am - Lottery News

Private management could be Alabama lottery optionNews Story
If Alabama gets a lottery, private management may at least be an option. But the Republican leader of the Senate said Wednesday he did not want to commit to any particular proposal, being wary of some of the negative experiences of other states with private managers. Having no experience in the lottery field, we're just going to have to look at what other states have done and what's worked best for them, he said. Marsh is sponsoring legislation that would establish a lottery and gambli
May 22, 2015, 7:17 pm - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery cuts ties with private managerNews Story
The split between the Illinois Lottery and its private manager, Northstar Lottery Group, is now official after three years of acrimony over lower-than-expected revenues. The termination agreement, signed Tuesday by Gov. Pat Quinn, comes a little more than three months after he directed lottery officials to sever ties with the company after it fell short of promised revenues for the third consecutive year. At the time, the company had posted record profits to the state, but those figures st
Dec 10, 2014, 9:11 pm - Lottery News

With Northstar terminated, what will the Illinois Lottery do now?News Story
So what's next for the Illinois Lottery? That's the big question looming in the wake of Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's politically-expedient move late last week to fire Northstar Lottery Group. Quinn made history late in 2010 when he inked a 10-year contract with Northstar to become the first-ever private manager of any state lottery in the nation. Two other states now have private lottery managers Indiana and New Jersey. Quinn's move last week to terminate Northstar may prove too little too la
Aug 23, 2014, 10:27 pm - Lottery News

Illinois to fire private lottery operatorNews Story
The bumpy marriage between the state and the private company that operates the Illinois Lottery is ending in a divorce. Gov. Pat Quinn's office confirmed to me today that it is ending its contract with Northstar Lottery Group LLC to operate the $2 billion-a-year lottery system, seven years earlier than scheduled. It is not yet certain whether the separation will be voluntary by both parties, but a decision to end the contract has been made. The governor's office has directed the lotter
Aug 23, 2014, 10:20 pm - Lottery News

NJ court rules against union's effort to stop state lottery privatizationNews Story
A state appeals court last week ruled against a public workers union in its effort to stop New Jersey from privatizing parts of the state lottery. Despite months of objections from Democratic lawmakers and union leaders, the state announced last June that it signed a 15-year contract for a private company, Northstar New Jersey, to manage the sales and marketing branches of the lottery. Gov. Chris Christie's administration said the move will bring New Jersey a surge in revenue. But the Comm
Jul 8, 2014, 7:27 am - Lottery News

Illinois legislator urges Gov. to fire company running the lotteryNews Story
Northstar disagrees, says revenue targets met Citing nearly three years of lackluster performance, an Illinois state lawmaker is urging Governor Pat Quinn to fire the company his administration hired to run the Illinois Lottery. State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said the state's contract with Northstar Lottery Group has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions in lost revenues due to the firm's failure to meet revenue goals. The privatization of the Illinois State Lottery has been nothing
May 15, 2014, 12:13 pm - Lottery News