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Texas Lottery Director Resigns Over Jackpot ScandalNews Story
The executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission resigned Friday, two weeks after admitting he had approved advertising Lotto Texas jackpots that were higher than ticket sales could support.Reagan Greer had overseen the nation's third-largest lottery since February 2003. In recent days, it has become clear that intense, ongoing efforts to restore Texans' confidence in the lottery can best be advanced through a change of leadership, Greer wrote in letter of resignation.Greer said he had si
Jul 9, 2005, 10:41 am - Lottery News

Texas Gov. expects panel to correct lottery problemsNews Story
Texas Gov. Rick Perry expects the three-member panel that oversees the Texas lottery to get that agency straightened out during next week's closed-door meeting on whether to replace the top executives, the governor's spokesman said Thursday. The governor is obviously concerned when any branch of the state government doesn't level with the taxpayers of Texas, deputy press secretary Robert Black said. Honesty is important to the public trust. Black said Perry was troubled by reports that lotte
Jul 8, 2005, 3:30 pm - Lottery News

Texas lottery director stands firm amid attacksNews Story
Reagan Greer, the Texas Lottery Commission's embattled executive director who signed off on four inflated Lotto jackpots, shows no sign he will cave in to pressure and resign.Greer has asked the state auditor to conduct an investigation into the agency's policies and practices, particularly in personnel matters. I would like your office to provide me with an objective perspective on these matters, including any recommendations you might have to improve our agency in this area, Greer said in par
Jul 8, 2005, 11:33 am - Lottery News

Texas lottery panel will consider dismissing directorNews Story
The three-person panel that oversees the Texas Lottery Commission will meet behind closed doors Monday to decide whether the agency's executive director should be fired for inflating the advertised jackpots for the popular Lotto Texas game.Lottery Commission Chairman C. Thomas Clowe said Tuesday that he could not comment on the matter. But in two public meetings in less than a week, Clowe has harshly criticized Executive Director Reagan Greer, saying that he had deceived the lottery-playing publ
Jul 6, 2005, 8:51 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery chief may lose job over jackpot snafuNews Story
The Texas Lottery Commission's executive director may lose his job and six other employees may be reassigned following revelations that the agency inflated jackpot estimates, according to a posted agenda.Commissioners may meet in executive session July 11 to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of executive director Reagan Greer, the agenda posted Friday states.The notice also indicates the commission may discuss the reassignment of
Jul 2, 2005, 11:51 pm - Lottery News

Texas Lottery executive had no hint before firingNews Story
Weighing his words carefully when asked if he was the fall guy in the growing scandal over inflated Texas Lotto jackpots, Lee Deviney said only that his dismissal last month from the Texas Lottery Commission came with no prior warning. In any job you have good days and bad, but the majority of time I felt (my bosses) were happy with me, Deviney said by telephone Thursday while vacationing with his family in Colorado.Happy enough, he said, that he was awarded a 4 percent raise last October and a
Jul 1, 2005, 10:30 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery chief could face punishment for inflated jackpotsNews Story
The Texas Lottery Commission chairman laid blame for inflated lottery jackpots squarely on the agency's chief Wednesday, hinting to state lawmakers that executive director Reagan Greer could be punished.Chairman C. Tom Clowe was asked by members of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee who specifically had deceived lottery players by advertising phony estimated jackpots four times since last fall.Mr. Clowe answered: The person who made the decision [to sign off on the esti
Jul 1, 2005, 9:42 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery officials testify that public was deceivedNews Story
Texas Lottery Commission Chairman C. Thomas Clowe told lawmakers Wednesday that the public was deceived by recently inflated jackpot estimates and vowed the agency would take action to keep it from happening again.Clowe said lottery Executive Director Reagan Greer was responsible for the deception but declined to say if he should be fired. This was a deception, and it was wrong, said Clowe, who opened nearly four hours of testimony on the inflated jackpots before the House Licensing and Adminis
Jun 30, 2005, 12:30 pm - Lottery News

Texas Lottery Whistleblower FiredNews Story
The scandal embroiling the Texas Lottery Commission over inflated jackpot estimates intensified Wednesday when top agency officials acknowledged firing a colleague who only days earlier warned ticket sales would fall short of advertised amounts.Mike Fernandez, the commission's administrator, called horrendous the timing of the dismissal of Lee Deviney, the agency's chief financial officer.But he denied there was any connection between Deviney's firing and an e-mail Deviney sent his superiors l
Jun 30, 2005, 11:54 am - Lottery News

Texas lawmakers to grill lottery officials about inflated jackpotsNews Story
Texas lottery officials could face tough questions and some nasty wrist-slapping today when they testify before lawmakers about inflating several Texas Lotto jackpot estimates.But they would face more scrutiny under a bill filed Tuesday that forces the lottery to comply with laws against deceptive trade practices.Sen. Jane Nelson said recent revelations that lottery officials advertised bigger jackpots than they could afford to pay out jeopardize the integrity of the game and the government that
Jun 29, 2005, 5:36 pm - Lottery News