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Sale of Illinois Lottery could start a trendNews Story
If Illinois privatizes its lottery system, investors and public officials in other states will closely watch the groundbreaking move with an eye toward repeating it, a gaming industry leader predicted Wednesday. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat running for a second term in November, announced Tuesday a proposal to sell off or lease the state's lottery system to private investors in order to bolster school funding. He said the state could get $10 billion out of the deal and use the money to fu
May 25, 2006, 9:48 pm - Lottery News

Many dislike Illinois Gov.'s lottery privatization planNews Story
A day after Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich unveiled his $10 billion school financing and education reform plan, lawmakers, local school officials and teachers union representatives raised serious reservations, suggesting that key portions of the proposal will face a rocky path. Virtually every aspect of the agenda from state takeover of failing schools to merit pay for teachers to mandated after-school tutoring has its skeptics and detractors. Overall, educators applauded Blagojevich
May 25, 2006, 6:21 pm - Lottery News

Illinois Gov. wants to privatize state lotteryNews Story
Controversial plan is designed to capture funds for education up-front, but is it worth the gamble? Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich today will unveil an election-year school funding plan that calls for leasing the state lottery for the next decade to a private firm in return for $10 billion in upfront cash. Schools would get at least $1 billion a year for the next four years from such a deal, with the remaining $6 billion going into an education trust fund governed by a board
May 23, 2006, 2:38 pm - Lottery News

Kansas lottery tickets to be shredded, not scratchedNews Story
A state law is forcing the Kansas Lottery to shred an estimated 400,000 unsold scratch-off tickets including thousands of dollars worth of jackpot winners. Lottery director Ed Van Petten said Wednesday that the state's annual series of scratcher games that benefit programs for state veterans could be sold only from May 1 through Nov. 30 under the 2003 state law that authorized the benefit games. At the time there was a fear the games could get stale if they were sold year-round, he sai
May 11, 2006, 11:00 am - Lottery News

Oklahoma bans some businesses from selling lottery ticketsNews Story
A bill to prohibit pawn shops, payday lenders and check-cashing businesses from selling Oklahoma lottery tickets has won final legislative approval. The bill by Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson passed the Senate yesterday and now goes to the governor. The state Lottery Commission voted last year to prohibit those businesses from selling lottery tickets but Wilcoxson says the law will prevent future Lottery Commissions from reversing the decision. The commission had initially agreed to allow l
May 9, 2006, 7:57 am - Lottery News

Iowa Lottery TouchPlay ends tonightNews Story
After TouchPlay owners lost a last-ditch legal battle Tuesday to leave the video lottery devices turned on, some lawmakers said they would make a final effort to keep the affected businesses out of bankruptcy. A Polk County judge on Tuesday refused to delay the ending for the Iowa Lottery's TouchPlay machines, a ruling that means the machines must be turned off by 11:59 tonight. A group of private businesses that had been invited by the Iowa Lottery to invest in the TouchPlay machines, inc
May 3, 2006, 11:48 am - Lottery News

Powerball lottery being considered in WyomingNews Story
In the latest push to make Wyoming a Powerball state, an interim legislative committee on Monday authorized legislation allowing Wyoming to join the multi-state lottery. Individual lawmakers have sponsored Powerball bills in past legislative sessions, but this marks the first time a committee will formally introduce a bill of its own. A Casper Star-Tribune poll of voters earlier this year showed that 62 percent support Powerball in Wyoming. The poll margin of error was 4 percent. The w
May 3, 2006, 8:03 am - Lottery News

Expect N.C. lottery changes to affirm education spendingNews Story
When the North Carolina General Assembly returns for session next week, lawmakers won't have to answer the question they've been asked to speculate on for years: Will the lottery finally pass? It finally did last August. The North Carolina Education Lottery began selling its first scratch-off tickets March 30. Sales had surpassed $100 million by late Friday and should soar when the multistate Powerball gets under way at the end of May. I think they did a great job getting the lottery u
May 1, 2006, 7:20 am - Lottery News

Oregon Gov. signs bill sending lottery funds to schoolsNews Story
Passed by lawmakers in 6-hour session At Roosevelt Elementary School in Medford, Oregon, Gov. Ted Kulongoski was joined Tuesday by students, teachers, education leaders and legislators for the signing of House Bill 3510, which dedicates an additional $42.2 million in state lottery money to all 198 Oregon school districts for the 2006-07 school year. Last Thursday, at the governor's request, the Legislature met in special session and passed the bill to provide additional money to public sc
Apr 26, 2006, 10:12 am - Lottery News

Top House leader balks at plan to use Pa. lottery for tax reliefNews Story
A top Pennsylvania House leader has doubts about a key element of a property tax relief plan, threatening to complicate a legislative panel's efforts to produce an acceptable compromise. House Republican leader Sam Smith, of Punxsutawney, said yesterday he didn't like the idea of transferring about $240 million from the state lottery fund to provide property tax and rent rebates this year for senior citizens. I am not comfortable with borrowing money from the Lottery Fund this year, he t
Apr 25, 2006, 7:27 am - Lottery News