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Lottery buffs fear impact on Lotto TexasNews Story
There's a new buzzword these days at the Texas Lottery Commission: cannibalization.It's being used to describe how much the new Mega Millions multi-state lottery will eat away at the sales of the 11-year-old favorite, Lotto Texas.For the first time Wednesday, people will be able to buy a chance at the Mega Millions jackpot in Texas. There are people out there ready to step up first thing in the morning, people that are motivated by high jackpots, said Reagan Greer, executive director of the com
Dec 3, 2003, 5:31 am - Lottery News

Mega wait almost over for lottery's Mega MillionsNews Story
A day doesn't go by without a customer asking Duc Lu when he's going to start selling the Mega Millions lottery tickets. They say, `When do they come in?' I say, `Don't worry, you come in, I'll tell you what day they come out,' said Lu, 47, who has run the HLD Food Mart on Koenig Lane for 18 years.Lu hasn't sold a winning lottery ticket, but it hasn't discouraged people from making his store the No. 1 retailer for Texas Lotto and scratch-off ticket sales in Austin. He attributes his high sales
Dec 2, 2003, 4:26 am - Lottery News

Will Mega Millions be the ticket for Texas?News Story
Multistate game debuts this week with long odds, mixed predictionsTexas' plunge into the multistate lottery market this week with its promise of mega-jackpots and new revenues for the state is a bit of a gamble, supporters and critics agree.Tickets for the Mega Millions game go on sale Wednesday (December 3, 2003), followed by one of the twice-weekly drawings two days later (Friday, December 5, 2003). Texas is the 11th state to join the game.Yet-to-be answered questions: Will players be turned
Nov 29, 2003, 9:29 pm - Lottery News

Lottery ticket thief out of luckNews Story
Whoever stole 250 Weekly Grand scratch-off lottery tickets from an Orange, Texas Super Food Mart won't have much luck cashing the winners in.Eva Peveto, manager of the Food Mart, said the tickets were not activated and couldn't be claimed.Arif Raja, an employee of the store, reported the tickets missing Monday morning. He said when a man from the lottery commission came to the store to replace the old and expired tickets, he noticed a $500 roll of Weekly Grand missing. Each ticket is $2.Peve
Nov 21, 2003, 4:50 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery Closes Five Claim CentersNews Story
The Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) has announced the closure of five claim centers located in San Angelo, Wichita Falls, Sherman, Bryan and Waco to be effective January 30, 2004. In addition to the closures, there will be a reduction of 2 Full Time Employees (FTEs), one in the Tyler center and the other in San Antonio. This type of decision is never easy to make, yet sometimes must be made given the circumstances, stated Texas Lottery Commission Deputy Executive Director Gary Grief. As with ot
Nov 20, 2003, 6:54 am - Lottery News

Lottery winner imprisoned for buying tickets with drug moneyNews Story
A $12 million Texas lottery winner who bought his lucky ticket with drug proceeds got two strikes today: a 24-year federal prison sentence and an order to return the money.A federal judge sentenced Jose Luis Betancourt, 52, who was convicted by a jury in June of conspiracy and two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The jury in a second verdict said Betancourt should forfeit his lottery jackpot because the ticket was purchased with drug proceeds.Betancourt had been traffickin
Nov 5, 2003, 5:34 am - Lottery News

Texas to start Mega Millions in time for holidaysNews Story
Lottery officials are hoping to jingle all the way to the bank this holiday season, as Texans for the first time will be able to buy tickets in their state for the Mega Millions multi-state lottery drawing.Tickets will be on sale Dec. 3. The first drawing in Texas is targeted for Dec. 5.Jackpots start at $10 million and have averaged $42.3 million over the past year. But lottery officials in Texas and 10 other states that participate anticipate a much larger bounty.The Texas Lottery Commission e
Oct 23, 2003, 3:53 am - Lottery News

Texas signs contract with Mega Millions; game to begin soonNews Story
The Texas Lottery Commission on Thursday entered into a contract with the Mega Millions multistate lottery, which over the past year had average jackpots of more than $40 million.The commission next will begin purchasing equipment such as a random number generator to prepare for the launch later this year. The date hasn't been set, but executive director Reagan Greer said it probably will be after Thanksgiving.The long-term agreement has a six-month out clause, Greer said.The commission also
Oct 17, 2003, 5:08 am - Lottery News

Texas may move to join Mega Millions todayNews Story
The Texas Lottery Commission could formalize its decision to enter the multi-state lottery game Mega Millions today, a move expected to bring more than $50 million a year to state coffers.The three-member panel is scheduled to take action on a proposal that would allow lottery director Reagan Greer to sign a contract with the consortium of ten states that make up Mega Millions.Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington are the other
Oct 16, 2003, 3:48 am - Lottery News

Texas lottery considers eliminating lotto ballsNews Story
The familiar white, numbered balls that have determined the winners of hundreds of millions of dollars in Texas lottery prizes may get bounced. The Texas Lottery Commission is taking a first, cautious step toward using a computer to replace the rubber balls used since the games began in 1992.It's early in the conceptual stage, but lottery officials have looked at computerized random number generator systems that, linked with animations, are used by a handful of lotteries to pick the winning nu
Sep 15, 2003, 4:16 am - Lottery News