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Letter outlining Britain's first lottery up for auctionNews Story
The British tradition of national lottery has been traced back to the 16th century when a jackpot of 5,000 was up for grabs and participants had to wait three years to find out if they were winners. A letter has emerged from Queen Elizabeth I, written in 1566, which gives instructions for collecting money, commanding that persons of 'good trust' be entrusted with the prizes. The letter was written to Sir John Spencer, advising of 400,000 lots, each costing 10 shillings, with prizes to be p
Jun 14, 2010, 7:58 am - Lottery News

6 lotto winners who lost it allNews Story
The story of the 26-year-old garbage man who frittered away $15 million in lottery winnings and other tales of luck gone terribly wrong Want to know how to fritter away a multi-million lottery fortune? Ask Michael Carroll: The unemployed 26-year-old Brit has blown a 9.7 million jackpot he won in 2002 (approximately $15 million at the time) and is currently hoping to get his old job back as a garbageman. At first, Carroll lavished gifts on friends and family, but soon started spending on le
Jun 9, 2010, 6:19 am - Lottery News

States go all in, expand gaming to plug the budgetNews Story
Faced with a drop in gambling revenue, states are adding games, considering new casinos and increasing lottery options anything to keep their cut of the profits rolling in. States are adamant that they don't want to take advantage of anyone, but with budgets in free-fall and tax increases a losing hand politically, lawmakers acknowledge they are dependent on gambling dollars. At least 18 states this year are looking to expand games of chance because of a drop-off of anywhere from 5 to 14 p
Mar 15, 2010, 9:24 pm - Lottery News

Some stores just 'luckier' than others in N.C. lotteryNews Story
Chris Pennington slid the scratch-off ticket across the counter, repeating a ritual she'd performed hundreds of times. Hours later, she'd learn that her customer had won a six-figure surprise. I actually felt sick that day knowing I'd held $100,000 and gave it away, she said. The manager of Will's Food Store in Mount Holly, Pennington has seen her share of others' good fortune. Will's boasts the most lottery payouts of any retailer in Gaston County, according to figures from the N.C. Educ
Feb 1, 2010, 7:48 am - Lottery News

Stringing along Jamaican lottery scammersNews Story
It's a little suspicious when the address linked to a call notifying someone they won the Maryland Lottery is in Michigan. Or Ohio. And Richard Drexel, who has worked in security for part of his career, is no fool. As soon as the call came in for his son, also Richard, the elder Drexel called the Maryland Lottery. No, in fact, they don't call you to notify you you've won they have other means. And they certainly don't ask you to pony up $150 to pay for fees and taxes before you can collect
Dec 14, 2009, 8:45 am - Lottery News

Elderly man makes the right call on lottery scamNews Story
In the Star-Telegram Watchdog column, Dave Lieber recounts how an 86-year-old man did the right thing by not getting hooked in by lottery scammers again. For more than a year, George Kahak has followed my request that he call me before investing any more money in get-rich schemes. The 86-year-old former chief pilot for American Airlines is a compulsive scam victim. He's lost tens of thousands of dollars in dozens of scams. The other day, he called to say that he won $500,000 in a lottery a
Dec 14, 2009, 8:19 am - Lottery News

Michigan lottery players are the big winnersNews Story
Where did the all the Michigan lottery money go? That age-old question is being asked with a little greater frequency these days as local school districts grapple with mid-year state aid cuts of a minimum of $292 per student. Conspiracy theory has long held that lottery proceeds intended to solve all of Michigan's school funding problems have been for decades fiscally diverted by crafty lawmakers in other, non-school programs. Those suspicions might have had more of a basis of support b
Nov 29, 2009, 10:37 am - Lottery News

First Kentucky Lottery drawing machine donated to historical societyNews Story
The Kentucky Historical Society has taken posession from the Kentucky Lottery Corporation of a unique piece of state history the machine used to conduct the first legal lottery drawing of the 20th century in the Commonwealth. The Beitel Criterion machine, widely seen on televised drawings, was used for Lotto Kentucky (the first numbers game offered in the state) and Cash 5 drawings from 1989 through 1993. During that time more than $350 million in prizes were awarded through drawings using th
Nov 24, 2009, 12:32 pm - Lottery News

3 little numbers equal 1 big win for the N.C. lotteryNews Story
Three numbers are providing a hobby for lottery players and a big win for the North Carolina state lottery. The lottery's Pick 3 game, in which players buy chances at matching a three-digit number, offers the lowest payouts of any of the lottery's drawing games. The maximum win is $500. But the game has been a popular draw for players, who spent more than $200 million on those 50-cent and $1 tickets last year. Lotteries in most states recently reported a downturn in revenue, though North C
Oct 13, 2009, 7:48 am - Lottery News

Frequent lottery wins by retailers investigatedNews Story
Includes video report In this 2-part video report, MSNBC revealed the findings of their investigation, in which the most frequent lottery winners were almost always retailers. To view the report, please click on Part 1 of the report below. When Part 1 has finished playing, continue by clicking Part 2 of the report. Part 1 Part 2
Oct 2, 2009, 8:03 am - Lottery News