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Redundant Mega Millions lottery bill passes Calif. Senate CommitteeNews Story
A Senate committee, on a bipartisan vote, approved a measure Tuesday to legalize California's participation in Mega Millions lotto without the testimony of lottery officials who maintain the multi-state game is already legal. They had the audacity not to show up, said Sen. Dean Florez, a Bakersfield-area Democrat who authored the bill.A group that opposes gambling expansion has filed a lawsuit that alleges Mega Millions participation violates the voter-approved constitutional amendment that t
Aug 17, 2005, 7:09 pm - Lottery News

N.C. lottery's fate could come down to one key voteNews Story
The proposal for a North Carolina lottery which seemed headed for passage a month ago is in jeopardy.Senate leader Marc Basnight said Tuesday that supporters did not yet have enough votes to pass the lottery in the Senate and that it was unclear whether they could get those votes before the legislature adjourns for the year. It's a flip of the coin, Basnight said in an interview.Although the Democratic leadership supports a lottery, five Democratic senators are staked out in opposition. Tha
Aug 12, 2005, 10:30 am - Lottery News

N.C. lottery vote today or SaturdayNews Story
Decision will be today or Saturday as backers seek to sway 'no' votersIt apparently takes some cajoling to change one vote.Backers of a North Carolina lottery spent Thursday trying to get a few senators to change their no votes to yes. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, a Dare Democrat and lottery supporter, said he will hold a vote today or Saturday and that his side is a couple votes short. He, other Senate leaders and staffers from Gov. Mike Easley's office could be seen chatting up
Aug 12, 2005, 10:14 am - Lottery News

N.C. lottery bill limits commercialsNews Story
North Carolina lawmakers are slapping limits on how much a proposed lottery can spend on advertising and what the commercials can say, but they may have underestimated both.The General Assembly is scheduled to vote this week on a state budget that includes a lottery. The lottery would be limited to spending 1 percent of its revenue on advertising. That figure, while in line with many lotteries, may not be enough for a lottery's first year. When we started out, we spent 3.1 percent, said Virgini
Aug 9, 2005, 12:35 pm - Lottery News

Even with revenue deal, start of N.C. lottery no sure betNews Story
House and Senate Democrats have agreed how to distribute lottery proceeds, but it's hardly a sure bet that North Carolina will become the last state on the East Coast to run a numbers game this year.The agreement, details of which were released late Monday with the final proposed $17.2 billion state budget for the coming year, includes a looser advertising policy than one approved by the House in April.Even if both chambers approve the budget later this week, the lottery language won't enact the
Aug 9, 2005, 8:37 am - Lottery News

North Carolina Lottery is a GoNews Story
Residents of the Tar Heel state will finally get a lottery, under terms worked out by the state's House and Senate Friday.The final budget plan allows North Carolina to start a lottery, advertise it, and spend the profits on teachers, school buildings, and scholarships for the needy.The compromise between House and Senate plans for a lottery virtually ensures that North Carolina will start a state numbers game during the next year. The lottery was the last disputed issue between the House and Se
Aug 6, 2005, 10:45 am - Lottery News

N.C. Democrats feel heat on lotteryNews Story
In North Carolina, legislative leaders trying to break a logjam on the state's budget are pressing reluctant House Democrats to support a much more aggressively advertised lottery than the version that squeaked through the House in April.Several House members have opposed a lottery that would attract ticket buyers through billboard, TV and radio campaigns that promote big-dollar jackpots. They fear such a lottery would prey on people who could least afford to play it.In exchange for supporting a
Aug 3, 2005, 8:09 am - Lottery News

Still no consensus in N.C. lottery talksNews Story
Differences over a proposed North Carolina lottery surfaced from the budget negotiations Monday, as time dwindled before an end-of-the-week deadline to approve a spending plan for state government.North Carolina is the only East Coast state without a numbers game, but House and Senate leaders and Gov. Mike Easley all Democrats are trying to create one before the Legislature adjourns for the year.The House passed a lottery game in April by a two-vote margin. But the Senate approved a budget p
Aug 2, 2005, 8:42 am - Lottery News

Calif. Lottery uses trick as Dems continue undermining Mega MillionsNews Story
The California Lottery admitted Monday they used a state official, who misrepresented herself as a freelance reporter, as an operative in the legal battle over constitutionality of the multistate Mega Millions game in California.In other developments, lawmakers indicated they may reject confirmation of Lottery Commission appointees who voted for the game and disclosed they are planning to unveil a bill today to make Mega Millions legal here, despite the lottery's claim it has not broken the law.
Jul 12, 2005, 9:21 am - Lottery News

Calif. Democrat criticizes lottery's 'weak case'News Story
The state lottery said Thursday it would continue selling Mega Millions tickets as it fights an anti-gambling group's lawsuit that seeks an immediate shutdown on the grounds the multi-state game is unconstitutional in California.But a state senator said an uphill legal battle ultimately could cost schools hundreds of millions of dollars and permanently damage the lottery's reputation. The lottery is going into court with a fairly weak case, said state Sen. Dean Florez, a Bakersfield-area Democr
Jul 8, 2005, 2:51 pm - Lottery News