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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

Texas Lottery chief admits jackpots were inflatedNews Story
[Editor: After reading the story, be sure to watch the video report that follows, which provides interesting interviews of the key individuals in this report.]If you've been playing Texas Lotto lately, you may have been playing for less than you thought.Texas Lottery officials admitted Friday they inflated their jackpot numbers on four separate occasions. I will be studying it very closely and clearly to be sure this doesn't happen again, Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director Reagan Greer
Jun 27, 2005, 12:26 pm - Lottery News

Texas lottery board charges bingo machine supplier fixed pricesNews Story
A bingo machine supplier has been charged with fixing prices and selling its products directly to charities, according to state records and public filings.The Texas Lottery Commission will hear evidence Friday against Game Tech International, the largest supplier of electronic bingo machines in Texas.The allegations concern the behavior of a former employee and are untrue, said Andrejs K. Bunkse, general counsel for Game Tech. We will actively defend ourselves and believe there will be no findin
Jun 21, 2005, 8:09 am - Lottery News

Texas Pick 3 lottery game experiences sales glitchNews Story
The Texas Lottery Commission suspended sales of tickets for its Pick 3 game Thursday night after the lottery operator said there was a computer code problem associated with the game.The Texas Lottery Commission did not reveal any details about the nature of the computer glitch.Drawings for the game will continue and any tickets already purchased for Pick 3 drawings are valid, said lottery spokesman Robert Elrod. Drawings are held twice a day Monday through Saturday.Elrod said officials don't kno
Jun 17, 2005, 12:06 pm - Lottery News

Texas Lottery jackpot mess has critics enragedNews Story
Editor's Note: The following opinion article is not necessarily the opinion of Lottery Post, but is presented to illustrate how the latest Texas Lottery gaffe has fueled the fires of long-time critics of the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC). The article is written by Ken Rodriguez of the San Antonio Express-News.Ken Rodriguez: How Texas lottery advertised make-believe payoff for suckersThe sleight-of-hand Texas Lottery Commission has done it again. On Wednesday, the commission turned the Texas Lo
Jun 14, 2005, 11:30 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery has history of jackpot overestimationNews Story
The Texas Lotto jackpot has fallen short of the amount advertised on three occasions since November because of lower-than-anticipated ticket sales, a lottery spokesman said Monday.Sales are running almost 26 percent behind last year's pace, said spokesman Bobby Heith, blaming the problem on increased competition for the Texas gambler's money.Overall lottery sales, including tickets for scratch-off games, are up almost 11 percent over fiscal 2004, he added.A longtime lottery critic filed a false-
Jun 14, 2005, 10:54 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery considers changing jackpot calculationNews Story
Amid complaints of false advertising, Texas Lottery Commission officials will consider changing the way jackpots are paid.C. Thomas Clowe, the commission chairman, said the three-member panel will discuss this month whether to guarantee the advertised jackpot or continue basing the grand prize on a percentage of ticket sales.Clowe said Thursday that he is concerned that miscalculating the lotto jackpot could undermine confidence in the game. We want the public to have confidence in the lottery,
Jun 10, 2005, 12:30 pm - Lottery News

Texas Lottery Officials Halt Jackpot IncreaseNews Story
Texas Lottery officials won't boost the estimated top prize for Saturday's Lotto Texas drawing in the wake of accusations of inflated advertised jackpots.Lottery Post reported yesterday that the Texas Lottery has been accused of falsely inflating jackpots to drive ticket sales, leading to charges of false advertising.The Texas Lottery Commission says the estimated jackpot will remain at $8 million.A critic earlier sent a letter to Attorney General Greg Abbott accusing the commission of false adv
Jun 10, 2005, 12:53 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery accused of over-inflating jackpotsNews Story
The Attorney General's Office will examine allegations that the Texas Lottery Commission is inflating the advertised jackpots for its Lotto game because ticket sales are too sluggish to support the high payouts.Lottery officials rejected the allegations, but acknowledged that because of lagging ticket sales, for the first time in the game's history they would be unable to boost their jackpot estimate for Saturday's drawing if no one wins Wednesday night.Dawn Nettles, publisher of the online Lott
Jun 9, 2005, 11:48 am - Lottery News