Florida Lotto jackpot rises to $6 million
Posted By: Jim Peppard
Lotto Strategies
TALLAHASSEE, FL -- The jackpot in the Florida Lotto game has grown to $6 million after no one matched the six winning numbers in the latest drawing, lottery officials said Thursday.
A total of 70 tickets matched five numbers to win $3,463 each; 4,292 tickets matched four numbers for $45.50 each; and 75,652 tickets matched three numbers for $3.50 each.
The winning Florida Lotto numbers selected Wednesday: 2-9-11-17-23-49.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Ontario may need to consider banning lotto retailers from playing, says watchdog
Ontario may need to consider banning lotto retailers from playing, says watchdog
Thu Feb 5
By Maria Babbage, The Canadian Press
Lotto Strategies
TORONTO - Ontario may have to consider banning all retailers and other lottery insiders from playing unless "rampant fraud" is purged from the system within six months, provincial watchdog Andre Marin warned Thursday.
If the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. can't show that the problem is under control by that time, the outspoken ombudsman said he will ask the corporation and the provincial government to stop ticket sellers and their families from playing altogether.
"Playing the lottery is not a God-given right in Ontario; it is a privilege," he said.
"If retailers and insiders can't control their itchy fingers that demonstrate they're not responsible lottery players, then it's not worth the tens of millions of dollars to police them. We should just ban them outright."
His comments follow a sweeping forensic audit Wednesday that revealed lottery insiders in Ontario hit jackpots totalling $198 million over the past 13 years.
Marin said he was stunned by the "astronomical" sum and said the corporation still has a problem with dishonest lottery insiders that must be addressed.
"The insiders right now are in the purgatory - they've got one last chance to get their act together," he said.
"If insiders, retailers prove that they're an ungovernable lot, then we should ban them from playing the lottery."
The agency has been trying to rebuild consumer confidence and enhance security since Marin accused unscrupulous retailers of collecting tens of millions of dollars in "dishonest" winnings - and the lottery corporation of letting them get away with it.
At the time of his 2007 report, Marin praised the corporation for its co-operation in providing him information to investigate insider wins.
Now it seems clear, he said Thursday, the organization was not as open as it could have been.
Many of the senior managers have since been replaced, which has put the agency on the "right track," Marin said.
A ban on insiders is one tool that has always been available to the corporation and an option it won't rule out now, said chief executive officer Kelly McDougald.
"We're seeing great progress in terms of some of the controls we've implemented," she said.
"But if that's not working, of course we'll consider that."
The forensic audit by Deloitte and Touche found that $198 million in prizes claimed by lottery insiders made up 3.4 per cent of the total prizes claimed at prize offices from 1995 until 2008.
Jackpots of more than $990 have to be claimed at the prize offices instead of retail locations. Before November 2003 that amount was $300.
The auditors couldn't say whether insiders had a disproportionately high number of wins.
The Ontario Convenience Stores Association is calling on the lottery corporation to immediately remove terminals and tickets from retailers who are found to have cheated customers or the corporation.
"The majority of lottery retailers are honest," association president Dave Bryans said in a statement.
"But the fact that more retailers than we thought may have defrauded the system is disturbing news and frankly makes the tens of thousands of honest, hard-working people in our industry angry."
Thu Feb 5
By Maria Babbage, The Canadian Press
Lotto Strategies
TORONTO - Ontario may have to consider banning all retailers and other lottery insiders from playing unless "rampant fraud" is purged from the system within six months, provincial watchdog Andre Marin warned Thursday.
If the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. can't show that the problem is under control by that time, the outspoken ombudsman said he will ask the corporation and the provincial government to stop ticket sellers and their families from playing altogether.
"Playing the lottery is not a God-given right in Ontario; it is a privilege," he said.
"If retailers and insiders can't control their itchy fingers that demonstrate they're not responsible lottery players, then it's not worth the tens of millions of dollars to police them. We should just ban them outright."
His comments follow a sweeping forensic audit Wednesday that revealed lottery insiders in Ontario hit jackpots totalling $198 million over the past 13 years.
Marin said he was stunned by the "astronomical" sum and said the corporation still has a problem with dishonest lottery insiders that must be addressed.
"The insiders right now are in the purgatory - they've got one last chance to get their act together," he said.
"If insiders, retailers prove that they're an ungovernable lot, then we should ban them from playing the lottery."
The agency has been trying to rebuild consumer confidence and enhance security since Marin accused unscrupulous retailers of collecting tens of millions of dollars in "dishonest" winnings - and the lottery corporation of letting them get away with it.
At the time of his 2007 report, Marin praised the corporation for its co-operation in providing him information to investigate insider wins.
Now it seems clear, he said Thursday, the organization was not as open as it could have been.
Many of the senior managers have since been replaced, which has put the agency on the "right track," Marin said.
A ban on insiders is one tool that has always been available to the corporation and an option it won't rule out now, said chief executive officer Kelly McDougald.
"We're seeing great progress in terms of some of the controls we've implemented," she said.
"But if that's not working, of course we'll consider that."
The forensic audit by Deloitte and Touche found that $198 million in prizes claimed by lottery insiders made up 3.4 per cent of the total prizes claimed at prize offices from 1995 until 2008.
Jackpots of more than $990 have to be claimed at the prize offices instead of retail locations. Before November 2003 that amount was $300.
The auditors couldn't say whether insiders had a disproportionately high number of wins.
The Ontario Convenience Stores Association is calling on the lottery corporation to immediately remove terminals and tickets from retailers who are found to have cheated customers or the corporation.
"The majority of lottery retailers are honest," association president Dave Bryans said in a statement.
"But the fact that more retailers than we thought may have defrauded the system is disturbing news and frankly makes the tens of thousands of honest, hard-working people in our industry angry."
No Lotto jackpot winner; 22 tickets win $371
No Lotto jackpot winner; 22 tickets win $371
Associated Press - February 5, 2009
Lotto Strategies
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) - The Lotto jackpot will grow to an estimated $4.2 million for Saturday since last night's drawing went off without a grand prize winner.
The winning numbers Wednesday were 2-3-7-17-20-26.
Colorado Lottery officials say 22 tickets matched five numbers to win the $371 second prize, while 868 tickets matched four numbers to win $35 each.
Another 12,699 tickets matched three numbers for $3 apiece.
Drawings are held Wednesday and Saturday nights.
Associated Press - February 5, 2009
Lotto Strategies
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) - The Lotto jackpot will grow to an estimated $4.2 million for Saturday since last night's drawing went off without a grand prize winner.
The winning numbers Wednesday were 2-3-7-17-20-26.
Colorado Lottery officials say 22 tickets matched five numbers to win the $371 second prize, while 868 tickets matched four numbers to win $35 each.
Another 12,699 tickets matched three numbers for $3 apiece.
Drawings are held Wednesday and Saturday nights.
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