Search

Mississippi lottery panel visits neighboring states to garner informationNews Story
Trips to neighboring states to observe their lottery operations have shed light on the types of decisions that must be made should Mississippi opt to enact a lottery, two Northeast Mississippi legislators recently said. Reps. Mac Huddleston, R-Pontotoc, and Nick Bain, D-Corinth, made trips to Little Rock last week as members of a task force created by House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, to study the issues surrounding the lottery. Other members of the committee made a similar trip to Baton
Jun 25, 2017, 9:55 am - Lottery News

Lottery vending machines in Kansas may depend on whether lawmakers show up MondayNews Story
Your ability to buy lottery tickets from vending machines in Kansas may depend on how many lawmakers show up for the ceremonial last day of the session Monday. A bill allowing the Kansas Lottery to use vending machines to sell tickets was vetoed by Gov. Sam Brownback last week. The Legislature approved House Bill 2313 earlier this month with margins far greater than the two-thirds needed to override the veto. The House passed the bill 98-19; the Senate passed it 34-4. But because the fi
Jun 22, 2017, 5:47 pm - Lottery News

Pa. seniors worry expanded gambling will hurt lottery proceedsNews Story
A bill passed in the Pennsylvania House would allow casino-style gambling in airports, veterans halls, and truck stops. Now, seniors are worried if it were to become law, that less lottery money would fund programs for the elderly. They are not the only ones who are concerned. There are 18,000 people in the state who are employed by casinos like Mohegan Sun in Plains Township. Opponents of the bill say those jobs could be cut if it were to become law. The bill to make electronic games o
Jun 22, 2017, 7:55 am - Lottery News

Illinois lottery players may lose Powerball and Mega Millions at the end of JuneNews Story
Legislation's refusal to deliver balanced budget threatens to cut off popular multi-state games The association that runs the popular Powerball lottery and Mega Millions games will drop Illinois at the end of June without a budget agreement. Concern over the state of Illinois' fiscal condition prompted that decision by the Multi-State Lottery Association, according to internal Illinois Lottery communications. Illinois Lottery spokesman Jason Schaumburg on Thursday morning confirmed that
Jun 15, 2017, 3:52 pm - Lottery News

New Mexico reduces college scholarships funded by lotteryNews Story
Lottery given minimal flexibility to increase sales College scholarships funded by New Mexico lottery proceeds will cover 60 percent of tuition costs for the next school year down from 90 percent as state education officials announced changes Wednesday aimed at stretching dwindling revenue for the financial aid program. The lottery-based scholarships help pay tuition for about 26,000 students at public universities, four-year colleges and two-year community colleges throughout the state. N
May 31, 2017, 3:58 pm - Lottery News

Mississippi lawmaker forms group to study why lottery would be bad for stateNews Story
Your tax dollars at work Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said weeks ago that he would form a group to study the pros and cons of starting a state lottery. As the group met for the first time Wednesday, Gunn repeated his opposition to the game of chance. I do not believe a lottery is based on sound economic policy, and it violates a number of conservative, Republican principles, Gunn, a Republican who is also a leader in his local Baptist church, said in a news release. The purpo
May 4, 2017, 8:12 am - Lottery News

Oklahoma governor approves increased lottery payoutsNews Story
Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation Tuesday that could lead to higher Oklahoma Lottery prize amounts and higher revenue to education. Lottery officials believe the law will spur more purchases of instant-win scratcher tickets, which in turn will boost funding for public schools, CareerTech institutions, colleges and universities. House Bill 1837 doesn't affect the multi-state lottery games like Powerball, but people who buy scratch-off tickets should see a change in July. The Oklahoma L
May 3, 2017, 3:34 pm - Lottery News

Vermont paying $8,000 per month on unused lottery machinesNews Story
Since last June, 25 lottery machines leased by the state of Vermont have gathered cobwebs in storage unplugged and unused at a cost of $8,000 a month. That means the state has paid $72,000 in fees for nothing. And the tab is still mounting. Neither the governor nor legislators were happy to hear about the losing proposition. I don't like that we're wasting money and having these machines sit idly, Gov. Phil Scott said Tuesday. His staff learned about the situation in February while workin
Apr 27, 2017, 2:37 pm - Lottery News

Pennsylvania eyes leap to internet for casinos, lotteryNews Story
Facing huge deficits, Pennsylvania could become the first state to allow both its casinos and lottery to take its games online in a quest for money from new and younger players. The state government has a slew of fiscal challenges, made worse by sluggish tax collections and one of the nation's oldest average populations. A Republican-controlled Legislature trying to avoid a broad tax increase under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has instead turned over other rocks in search of alternatives. Ther
Apr 24, 2017, 9:15 am - Lottery News

Arkansas lottery players now can buy tickets with debit cardsNews Story
Starting this summer, retailers selling tickets for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery will be authorized to accept payment by debit cards, thanks to a new law that zipped through the Legislature in 23 days with little fanfare. Since the lottery started selling tickets on Sept. 28, 2009, the law allowed only cash to be used in transactions. Now Arkansas will join most other state lotteries by allowing debit-card use. Senate Bill 617 sponsored by Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado is now Act 876
Apr 17, 2017, 11:26 am - Lottery News