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Arkansas Lottery hires away S.C. directorNews Story
New director is 3rd highest-paid in U.S. The Arkansas Lottery Commission has hired Ernie Passailaigue, the director of the South Carolina lottery, to lead the formation of Arkansas' newly approved lottery program. He will start the job July 1 and be paid a salary of $324,000. It's possible that lottery ticket sales could begin as early as October. Passailaigue (pronounced Pass'-a-laig) is a past president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, a lottery tra
Jun 18, 2009, 9:47 pm - Lottery News

Ark. Lottery Commission meets, discusses director candidatesNews Story
The Arkansas Lottery Commission got a little closer, with emphasis on little, to naming an executive director. The newly-formed commission met in Little Rock, and commssion chief Ray Thornton told members that the list of applicants for the position currently stands at 55. That number does not include previous applicant Tom Courtway, interim president at the University of Central Arkansas, who has withdrawn his name from consideration. The commission opted not to rely on a hiring commit
Jun 2, 2009, 8:12 am - Lottery News

Arkansas lottery retailers to be policed for fraud, officials sayNews Story
The legislation laying the groundwork for Arkansas' lottery does not require it, but officials say they expect the lottery system to include a security division that will be on the lookout for fraud by retailers. The problem of fraud by lottery retailers gained new attention in the U.S. in the wake of a 2007 scandal in Canada, where investigators found that retailers and their employees were winning a disproportionately large number of prizes. Between 1999 and 2006, at least 78 retail owne
May 19, 2009, 8:32 am - Lottery News

Ark. Lottery Commission Web site launches MondayNews Story
The new Arkansas Lottery Commission has been in operation for a little more than a week, and on Monday its own Web site will go live. The URL for the new, not-yet live site is: www.LotteryCommission.Arkansas.gov. At publication time, entering that address into one's Web browser displays an under construction message. In addition, the commission will soon decide the name for the official state lottery Web site for the Arkansas lottery games. The commission is holding a two-day working
May 15, 2009, 4:50 pm - Lottery News

S.C. lottery chief says Arkansas can clear $125M in first yearNews Story
New commission urged to focus on hiring director South Carolina lottery director Ernie Passailaigue estimated that the Arkansas lottery could clear roughly $125 million in net profit its first year. Passailaigue spoke to Arkansas Lottery Commission members Thursday afternoon at a working retreat held at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute within Petit Jean State Park. Joining him to pass along expertise in helping implement successful state lotteries was Margaret DeFrancisco, director of th
May 15, 2009, 8:24 am - Lottery News

Nevada Gov. flip-flops on lotteryNews Story
True or not, it doesn't really matter Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons might not remember it, but the record shows he has flip-flopped on the issue of a state lottery. Gibbons told a town hall audience in Minden last week, I have no problem with a lottery. As they have for decades, lawmakers are again considering creating a state lottery in Nevada. Asked about his stance in an interview, Gibbons said, I never have opposed a lottery. When did you hear that? Gibbons' previous opposition is in
May 11, 2009, 6:40 am - Lottery News

A Nevada Lottery? The Line Forms in CaliforniaNews Story
On a recent afternoon, lines of customers snaked to the door of the Primm Valley Lotto Store, a bustling hut just over the border in California. The parking lot was packed with cars sporting Nevada license plates. The hut, on a dead-end street paved for the sole purpose of crossing that border, holds two important distinctions. It is the lottery ticket vendor closest to Las Vegas, 45 miles to the northeast. And it sells more lottery tickets than any other vendor in California, according to th
Apr 26, 2009, 12:36 pm - Lottery News

Nevada Assembly passes lottery billNews Story
Senate vote is next step The Nevada Assembly voted Wednesday for a lottery in the nation's No. 1 gambling state, despite arguments that it would compete with slot machines and other games of chance. AJR7 is the latest version of a plan that since the 1970s has failed about two dozen times to win legislative approval. The measure advanced on a 31-11 vote and now moves to the Senate. The plan would have to be approved by lawmakers this year and again in 2011 and then go to a public vote.
Apr 17, 2009, 3:06 am - Lottery News

Arkansas lottery commission fully staffedNews Story
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday appointed the final three members of the Arkansas Lottery Commission, naming George J. Hammons of Pine Bluff, Dianne Lamberth of Batesville and Ben Pickard of Beebe to the board that will oversee lottery operations. Voters in the November general election approved a constitutional amendment authorizing state-run lottery games to raise money for college scholarships. The amendment left the lottery details to the Legislature. The Arkansas Scholarship Lotter
Apr 14, 2009, 8:57 am - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery Commision takes shapeNews Story
Confusion over salary cap for director position Arkansas House Speaker Robbie Wills appointed three members to the newly created Arkansas Lottery Commission, and his lottery cleanup bill to clarify the salary of the commission's director cleared a committee Wednesday. Wills appointed Joe White of Conway, Mike Malone of Fayetteville, and Susan Ward-Jones of Marion. I established a criteria [for appointees] of honesty, integrity, and state and community responsibility, Wills said. These
Apr 4, 2009, 10:39 am - Lottery News