Buy a ticket, you could win a baby! Fury over lottery with £25,000 IVF prize

Buy a ticket, you could win a baby! Fury over lottery with £25,000 IVF prize

By Tom Kelly

7th July 2011

dailymail

Camille Strachan: Lottery creator had her own struggle to conceive

Health watchdogs yesterday launched a scathing attack on the world’s first IVF lottery offering would-be parents the chance to win fertility treatment.

http://easss.com/lotto

Regulators said plans to sell £20 tickets for a prize of £25,000 of treatment at one of the country’s top fertility clinics ‘trivialised’ an extremely serious issue.

The controversial lottery, run by the To Hatch charity, was granted a licence by the Gambling Commission which does not consider ethical questions when assessing applications.

But yesterday the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said it would be contacting the charity and clinics involved to express its concerns over the lottery, due to start later this month.

A spokesman said: ‘The HFEA is strongly of the view that using IVF as a “prize” in a lottery is wrong and entirely inappropriate.

‘To do so runs counter to the ethos that underpins our regulatory system and clinical practice. It trivialises what is for many people a central part of their lives.’

COST OF INFERTILITY

The world’s first test tube baby, Louise Joy Brown, was born in Manchester in 1978. 

More than 12,000 IVF babies are born in the UK each year

Infertility is estimated to affect one in six UK couples at some point

A typical cycle of IVF treatment costs £5,000. Some patients can pay up to £20,000 to start a family

The Government has said all women with appropriate clinical need should have at least one cycle on the NHS but local rules vary.

Last night a campaign group also branded the concept of an IVF lottery as ‘horrifying’.

Single people and gay people will be eligible for the lottery along with couples hoping to conceive.

The money will be used to pay for one cycle of IVF along with complementary therapy, accommodation and travel costs. Where IVF is not suitable, winners could be offered donor eggs, reproductive surgery or surrogate birth.

If a single man or woman won, they could be provided with donor sperm, or a surrogate mother and donor embryo.

The competition’s creator, Camille Strachan, said she was inspired to set up the competition after her own struggle to conceive. The 37-year-old mother of one said: ‘This lottery will at last offer some hope to those who cannot afford to attend private fertility treatment clinics in areas where IVF has been stopped by the NHS.

‘Sadly, health service cuts are likely to get more severe. When you are trying to conceive every month that passes without treatment is a month wasted. I know because I have been through it myself.’

Betting on a baby: Every month the lottery by charity To Hatch will offer couples struggling to conceive the change to become a parent

After a failed round of IVF, Miss Strachan conceived naturally while waiting for private treatment and is now bringing up a young son.

The former interior designer runs To Hatch from her home in Shepherd’s Bush, West London.

Betting on a baby: The Gambling Commission has granted a licence to charity To Hatch, which offers fertility advice to couples who need IVF

On its website the charity pays tribute to Waitrose which it describes as the initial sponsors for the charity.

The lottery is due to launch on July 30 offering tickets online with a chance of winning fertility treatment from a choice of five private clinics. Entrants must be over 18 and young enough for a fertility clinic to allow treatment.

Lottery numbers will be chosen by a computer and the winner randomly selected. There will be a guaranteed winner on each draw. A quarter of the ticket money will be used to pay for the winner’s IVF, with another quarter going towards To Hatch, which provides online support for childless couples and those experiencing trouble conceiving. 

The rest of the takings will go towards VAT and administrative costs, Miss Strachan said. Winners must produce a letter from their GP to show they have been having fertility treatment.

Josephine Quintavalle, of the group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: ‘The more one looks at it, the more one is horrified.

‘If you look at the claims that are being made, if you won and you were not eligible for IVF, they will offer surrogate motherhood, embryos and eggs, so they are actually involving other parties as well.’

The Gambling Commission said it was not within its remit to consider ethical questions about a lottery when ruling on whether to grant a licence.

Waitrose said it gave To Hatch a one-off donation in 2010 through a scheme supporting charities serving the local community.

$163 Million Lottery Ticket Remains Unclaimed

$163 Million Lottery Ticket Remains Unclaimed
1/19
kypost

Lottery Strategies

A lucky winner is holding a multi-million dollar lottery ticket, and it could be your neighbor.

Someone bought the winning powerball ticket worth over $160 million at the Circle K station in Greendale near Lawrenceburg.

"Everybody is coming in here and checking their tickets to see if they've won.  But the winner hasn't come foreword yet," said Circle K Manager Mary Cummings.

The ticket is worth an estimated $163.2 million, which can buy a lot of things...

So what if the winner is hungry?  He or she can buy a foot long from Subway...and one for every person in Canada.

If they want a new car?  They can buy a new $63,000 G.M.C. Yukon Denali with leather seats and 22-inch wheels.  Plus one for more than 2,500 of their closest friends.

The last winning powerball ticket was sold in Indianapolis in November.  Those winners stayed anonymous.         

At this point, no one has claimed the prize.

The lucky numbers? 2, 5, 9, and 59...the Powerball: 26.

Lottery games still a big draw as people try to change their luck in hard times

Lottery games still a big draw as people try to change their luck in hard times

Bob Matteo, one of 14 Schnuck’s employees in the lottery pool at the store, prepares to purchase more Powerball tickets with the winnings from a recent drawing. Out of the tickets purchased, there were $11 in winnings, which Matteo used to buy more tickets.

News Tribune
By Kris Hilgedick
January 18, 2009

Lottery Strategies

Is the Missouri Lottery having an exceptional year, revenue-wise, even as the economy dives deeper into a recession? Or are the agency's earnings flat?

It depends on how you crunch the numbers, said Gary Gonder, director of Integrated Services.

In the calendar year 2008, the Missouri Lottery's sales exceeded $1 billion - a longtime internal goal for lottery employees.

But, if revenues from the current fiscal year are examined, it appears revenues are only up .17 percent - “flat as a pancake,” said Gonder.

Lotteries across the nation don't appear to be scoring big gains in tough times. However, unlike many other industries suffering massive decreases, they aren't witnessing big losses, either.

Steve Scherr, owner of Mr. Convenience near downtown Jefferson City, said he thinks lottery proceeds for his store are probably up for the year.

“Lottery sales are pretty good,” he said. “In bad times, I think people say, ‘I might win the big one!'”

When other industries are being laid to waste, “Any increase at all is good,” said Scherr.

Scheer believes people buy them almost as a habit. “It seems like it's a tradition to buy a ticket,” he said.

People may think more people buy lottery tickets when times are hard, but Gonder isn't certain it's true.

“We haven't seen people putting more money down because of the poor economy,” he said.

The Missouri Lottery offers about nine different game classes - Scratchers, Pulltabs, Lotto, Powerball, Pick 3, Pick 4, Show Me Cash, Club Keno and Raffle.

One sign that the poor economy may be changing people's buying habits is that sales of $1 Scratchers tickets are up.

Buyers “are still participating, but at a cheaper pricepoint,” he said. “It's the first time in five or six years we've seen an increase in the $1 game.”

Pulltabs are down by a third, but the small-stakes cards are being phased out anyway, said Gonder.

The biggest losses - down 15 percent - are in the Powerball category, but Gonder said that has nothing to do with the economy.

Powerball sales are driven strictly by the size of the jackpots, he said. When jackpots are huge, people hear about it and rush out to buy tickets. Scherr has witnessed the phenomenon: “The larger it get, people start buying Powerball tickets like crazy.”

Lottery sales soar for lucky No. 1549

Lottery sales soar for lucky No. 1549

BY GLENN BLAIN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Saturday, January 17th 2009,

Lottery Strategies

ALBANY - Thanks to the Miracle on the Hudson, 1549 has become New York's newest lucky number, state Lottery officials said Friday.

Sales of Win 4 tickets using Flight 1549's number sold out shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday and are sold out through Tuesday night's drawing, said Lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Hapeman.

Ticket sales for a given number are suspended when the money that would have to be paid out if that number hits exceeds $5 million, Hapeman said.

She could not estimate how many tickets were sold using that number. Hapeman said 1549 is still available in other games.

Year-old $250,000 lottery ticket must be redeemed by Tuesday

 Friday, January 16, 2009
Year-old $250,000 lottery ticket must be redeemed by Tuesday
Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Lottery Strategies

The holder of a winning $250,000 lottery ticket had better beat feet to Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing.

The ticket, sold at Joslyn Market in Pontiac, must be redeemed by 4 p.m. Tuesday or it won't be worth the paper it's printed on.

"We were speculating on who might have bought it and it came down to a couple of guys," said Eddie Shouneyia who works in the family-owned market.

"We think the winner might have ended up losing the ticket, otherwise it would have been turned in by now with the way the economy is. If it was lost, that's a shame."

The winning Mega Millions ticket is from the Jan. 18, 2008, drawing. The numbers were 12-22-33-43-44 with the gold mega ball 15.

Lottery tickets must be redeemed within one year of the drawing date. Since the expiration date falls on Sunday and state government offices are closed Monday in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the winner has until the close of business Tuesday to collect. The winner is urged to contact the Lottery public relations division at (517) 373-1237 to set up an appointment to collect the prize.

About $27.4 million worth of winning tickets were never cashed in last year. Since the lottery debuted in 1972, more than a half-billion dollars -- $530 million -- has gone unclaimed, including 13 prizes of $1 million or more.

Unclaimed prize money goes into the state School Aid Fund, which supports K-12 education. Last year, the lottery sent $740 million to schools, and paid $1.32 billion in prizes on $2.33 billion in ticket sales. 

New lottery terminals are giving retailers fits

 Friday, January 16, 2009
New lottery terminals are giving retailers fits

Lottery Strategies

Numerous glitches have popped up on the touch-screen devices that use satellite technology.
Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau

LANSING -- The new generation of Michigan Lottery machines is giving some retailers fits as the devices sometimes go on the blink in this winter's harsh weather.

The state began replacing 11,000 older model machines last fall, and the conversion should be completed by month's end.

But unlike the old system, which used phone lines, the new one relies on satellite technology.

Top Universities Partner to Offer Online Teaching Credentials

Super Cheap Winter Cruise Specials

In snowy, windy weather, the newer machines sometimes freeze up, and retailers can't make sales during the down time, which they say has been for as long as an hour at a time.

Lottery officials say the problems go beyond the weather; they blame the situation on "glitches" in the satellite technology system. They say they are working to find solutions.

Meantime, many of the retailers are irked.

"It's a terrible terminal, it's so slow. I liked the old one 10 times better because the problems were easier to fix," said John Kenyon, owner of Luke's Gift & Sweet Shoppe at Oakland Mall in Troy. "I'm located in the middle of a mall, and sometimes I get huge lines because the new machine is six, seven times slower."

Mike Sawa, owner of Oak Liquor and Wine in Oak Park, one of the state's top retailers, says his two new terminals quit working for brief periods.

"Of course, I'm losing customers; people don't want to wait. And with this new machine, everything is slow," Sawa said.

Linda Gonzales, manager of JP's West, a Detroit bar and restaurant, said she's had problems with the new terminals, but normally they're resolved by a simple phone call to a Michigan Lottery technician.

But she said this week has been more troublesome, with the brutal weather. On Tuesday, the Club Keno machine froze and wouldn't accept bets.

"We had probably four (patrons) who just left," she said.

Many retailers are happy with the sleek, new terminals, which have touchpad screens, thermal images, laser printers and flat-screen TV monitors.

"Mine hasn't gone down, and I haven't had any problems," said Phillip Shouneyia, who owns Joslyn Market in Pontiac.

Lottery officials acknowledge that the situation is frustrating.

"While some of the problems are weather-related, not all of them are," said Andi Brancato, the agency's spokeswoman. "It's hard to pin down how many terminals may have been down at any one time because it's an intermittent problem," she said.

Brancato said technicians are trying to iron out the kinks so sales aren't interrupted.

"It doesn't appear we've had any significant negative (economic) impact at all because it's not like the retailers have been down for days," she said.

Last year, the Michigan Lottery had about $2.3 billion in sales. 

Lottery cash for suicide support

Lottery cash for suicide support
1/20 BBC

Lottery Strategies

UK Shopping

Mary Rodgers and office manager Margaret Leiper
Mary Rodgers (left) feels people often find it difficult to discuss suicide

A Dundee-based charity that helps those struggling to cope after the suicide of a friend or family member is to expand after receiving lottery cash.

Insight Counselling has been awarded £272,183 over five years to employ a counsellor and a community worker.

As well as taking on the two new part-time workers, the grant will also allow them to expand into Perth.

The charity currently works in Dundee, Forfar, Arbroath , Montrose and Brechin and does outreach work in schools.

'Guilt and shame'

The charity already has 35 trained volunteer counsellors, two paid workers and reception staff.

Dundee Samaritans has also committed 10 volunteers to help in the project.

Project manager Mary Rodgers said: "Suicide bereavement is a specialist area as those who are affected often have feelings of guilt and shame, and can become prisoners to hindsight when they think of all the 'if onlys' connected to the death.

"They can also become isolated because they don't want to speak about it and their friends and family don't want to speak about it either.

"It's not often realised that people bereaved by suicide are more at risk of committing suicide themselves.

"Our new service will undertake to offer one-to-one counselling, provide a listening service and our goal is to set up lots of small self-help groups in communities.

"The self-help groups are important because we are living in a society where the concept of community is becoming quite fragmented." 

Downturn has more people betting on lottery

Downturn has more people betting on lottery
In these tough times, many people appear willing to gamble a few precious dollars in the hope of winning instant deliverance from their economic woes.

By Juanita Cousins, The Associated Press
1/11/2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In these tough times, many people appear willing to gamble a few precious dollars in the hope of winning instant deliverance from their economic woes.

More than half of all states with lotteries have reported rising sales over the past six months, and some researchers say financial insecurity might be driving people to risk more of their money than usual on $1 and $5 instant scratch-offs and other daily games in hopes of a big payoff.

"Someday somebody is going to win, and I hope it is me," said Albert Atwood of Nashville, who spends $100 weekly playing the Pick 5 and Lotto Plus. "I imagine that I would be a heap better off if I saved this money, but everybody has dreams."

Driven by regulars like Atwood and a growing number of occasional players, 25 of 42 states with lotteries have experienced higher sales of scratch-off and daily lottery games since July, according to Scientific Games, a maker of scratch-offs.

In Washington, D.C., instant sales reached a record of $45 million in the 2008 fiscal year, representing an 11percent year-over-year increase.

In Tennessee, sales of instant lottery games were up $8 million during the fiscal quarter ending in October.

The Massachusetts lottery reached a record of $4.7 billion in sales during the last fiscal year, up from $4.4 billion.

Nationwide, instant and daily lottery revenues have been on the rise since 2004, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Some experts say economic hardships prompt people to justify small-stakes gambles even as they cut back on nonessential goods and services. Others pin the increased lottery activity on creative marketing by scratch-off makers and state governments, which cannot afford to lose this revenue at a time of tight budgets.

Some researchers see a correlation between economic difficulties and the popularity of lotteries.

"When people feel like they are behind compared to where they were yesterday, they want to make up for that," said Emily Haisley, a postdoctoral associate at the Yale School of Management who published a research paper on lotteries in The Journal of Behavioral Decision Making in July.

"They become risk-seeking in order to catch up and the small hope of winning becomes more attractive."

John L. Mikesell, a professor at Indiana University, published a study in 1994 comparing lottery sales rise and unemployment rates.

"When times are tough, the prospect of spending $1 on a remote chance to potentially change your life is appealing," Mikesell said.

Bill Cooper, a 60-year-old a from Chattanooga, Tenn., was still savoring his $500 win from a day earlier on a $1 Cash 3 pick that helped the disabled painter pay groceries, a title loan and some IOUs.

Allen Nevils, a 58-year-old moving company supervisor, put himself on a budget, driving less and purchasing groceries in bulk, but he still allots $20 a week to play daily lottery games.

"I really don't want to win that much," Nevils said. "I just want to be all right."

Atwood, a 68-year-old telephone company retiree, said he has spent at least $75,000 on lottery tickets since the Tennessee lottery began in 2000.

"I am absolutely not acting in my best economic interest," Atwood said. "But we always hope that we win big, and that is what drives us." 

Many states' lottery sales are rising in recession

Many states' lottery sales are rising in recession
    

Associated Press - January 12, 2009 1:23 AM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Even in these uncertain economic times, many people are feeling lucky.

Scientific Games, a maker of scratch-off tickets, says 25 of 42 states with lotteries have experienced a higher sale of scratch-off and daily lottery games since July.

Some researchers say financial insecurity might be driving people to risk more of their money than usual in hopes of a big payoff. Others credit creative marketing by scratch-off makers and state governments.

States' revenues from multistate lotteries, such as MegaMillions and Powerball, have dropped. But industry officials say sales of those tickets tend to fluctuate as the value of the jackpots rise and fall.

Sex offender wins $500,000 Alaska lottery

 Sex offender wins $500,000 Alaska lottery

(CNN) -- An Alaska lottery held to raise money for a group that helps sexual abuse victims had a surprise winner: a convicted sex offender.

Alec Ahsoak will donate part of his winnings to charity, his attorney says.

Alec Ahsoak, who according to the state sex offender registry was convicted in 1993 and 2000 for sexual abuse of a minor, came forward Saturday with the winning ticket for the $500,000 Lucky Time Pull Tabs jackpot.

Proceeds of the lottery help Standing Together Against Rape in Anchorage, a nonprofit group that offers support to sexual assault victims among other services.

"It's not how we had envisioned the story going," Nancy Haag, the group's executive director, told CNN Radio.

Alaska has the highest per capita number of rape cases in the United States, according to FBI statistics.

"With a ranking that high, it's ironic that the person who wins is a convicted sex offender," Haag added.
Don't Miss

Ahsoak's past was first revealed by KTUU-TV in Anchorage on Sunday. His attorney, Lance Wells, did not immediately return a call Monday from CNN.

Efforts to reach lottery organizer Abe Spicola, who owns Lucky Times Pull Tabs, were unsuccessful late Monday. But Spicola told the Anchorage Daily News that Ahsoak "was going to buy a house and said he was going to donate part of it to God, and, you know, charity."

Woman wins $200,000 in lottery

Woman wins $200,000 in lottery
From Staff Reports
Jan. 13, 2009

DURHAM -- A Durham woman has won $200,000 by playing Powerball in the N.C. Education Lottery.

Lottery officials reported Monday that Lucy Hanson of Durham bought her Powerball ticket for the Nov. 15 drawing at the Kangaroo Express on Erwin Road in Dunn. She said she plans to splurge on a day at a spa, and then put the rest of her winnings in savings.

Lottery officials also reported that a Robeson County man, Khairalla Aziz of Fairmont, won $478,953, the top prize in the Dec. 26 "Carolina Cash 5" drawing when his ticket matched all five numbers drawn. He bought his winning ticket in Fairmont.

In the Saturday Powerball drawing, three North Carolina tickets matched four out of five white balls plus the Power Ball and are worth $10,000 each. These tickets were sold at Wilco on Richlands Highway in Jacksonville, Petro Express on West North Main Street in Waxhaw, and Sea Merchants Inc. on Cape Fear Boulevard in Carolina Beach.

Lawmakers hope Ark. gov's address features lottery

Lawmakers hope Ark. gov's address features lottery
Monday January 12
By Jill Zeman, Associated Press Writer

Lawmakers hope Arkansas Gov. Beebe will offer guidance on lottery in state of state speech

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Although Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is expected to use his State of the State speech to call for a decrease in the sales tax on food, many lawmakers hope the governor will also offer some guidance on how to establish a state-run lottery and scholarship program.

Beebe is to give his second State of the State address on Tuesday, the second day of the Legislature's regular session.

Sen. Steve Faris, D-Malvern, said he's looking to Beebe for direction on how to establish the lottery and that the governor still has a role in the discussion, though Beebe says he voted against the lottery measure in the November general election and has said it's not his top issue for the session.

"I'll look to him for leadership and guidance because he is the chief executive of the state," said Faris, chairman of the State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, which will consider lottery legislation.

Senate President Bob Johnson said Beebe still has influence over the discussion on the lottery and the scholarships, despite the governor's opposition to the constitutional amendment authorizing the games.

"You've got to put that behind you. There have been a lot of issues here that I haven't supported, but once it becomes the will of the body to support it, then I've got to put my shoulder in and push," Johnson said. "That's what I think he'll do."

Rep. Bobby Pierce, D-Sheridan, said he's looking forward to hearing proposals on how the lottery's revenues will be distributed.

"We're all looking to see where that part of the education and the lottery come together," said Pierce, a member of the House Rules Committee, which will hear the lottery proposal.

Some of Beebe's plans are already out in the open. The governor has said repeatedly that he wants to further cut the state's sales tax on food from 3 cents to 2 cents.

"You know by my very nature that I'm pretty fiscally conservative," Beebe told reporters last week. "As a result of that, I'm very cautious about revenue estimates and forecasts. Notwithstanding all that ... based on current numbers, we can afford to cut it another penny."

The governor has also said he will ask for an increase in the cigarette tax to pay for a trauma system and other health care programs. Beebe wouldn't specify an amount, but said that a 50-cent per pack tax may not be high enough. Arkansas' current cigarette tax is 59 cents per pack.

Rep. Bryan King, the House minority leader, said how hard Beebe pushes for a cigarette tax increase could be a test of his relationship with Republicans in the Legislature. King says he expects House Republicans to back a plan to pay for the trauma system using increased fees for drunken and reckless driving convictions.

"I think this cigarette tax issue, raising taxes, will be a good telling point about where it's going to go with that," King said.

In his State of the State speech two years ago, Beebe detailed his plan to cut the state's sales tax on food from 6 cents to 3 cents. Both chambers unanimously approved that tax cut less than a month after the session started.

Also in that session, Beebe called for a $50 million fund to attract and retain new businesses; that Quick Action Closing Fund is now depleted, and the governor hopes the Legislature will replenish it this session.

Freshman Rep. Darrin Williams, D-Little Rock, said he looks forward to hearing any economic development news from the governor Tuesday.

"I'm excited about the new economic development prospects and the things that are moving to the state with the governor's quick action cash fund," Williams said. "I want to help him to keep that. I think that's very important to the state of Arkansas, so I look forward to hearing his thoughts there."

Rhode Island Daily Lottery

Rhode Island Daily Lottery
January 6, 2009

CRANSTON, R.I.—The winning numbers in the Rhode Island daily lottery drawing for Tuesday were:

1-3-9-2

(one, three, nine, two)

Ont. lottery corporation apologizes after misprinted tickets raise false hope

Ont. lottery corporation apologizes after misprinted tickets raise false hope

Tue Jan 6
By Michael Oliveira, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - As many as 1,100 misprinted scratch-and-win lottery tickets were in circulation in Ontario before being recalled, the province's lottery corporation admitted Tuesday as at least one man lamented that his dream of collecting a $135,000 windfall won't likely be realized.

A small percentage of the three million $3 Fruit Smash lottery tickets recently printed had some misaligned or mismatched symbols underneath the latex surface that game players scratch away, said Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., spokesman Don Pister.

The error was only caught after lottery players called the lottery corporation, he said, and the misprinted tickets were pulled from stores the same day.

Twenty-seven-year-old Thomas Noftall of Brampton, Ont., was beside himself after it appeared he won the top $75,000 jackpot and a combined $60,000 from three other Fruit Smash tickets.

Noftall claims he was initially told by a lottery employee that he would be paid even though it appeared his win wasn't legitimate.

"I was freaked, I started yelling to my wife, 'We really did win, we really did win,"' he told Toronto radio station AM640.

Noftall, who acknowledged he assumed the lottery corporation had legalese in its fine print to protect against misprints, said he's since been told he probably won't get anything at all.

The OLG does have a clause that says it will void tickets for a variety of reasons, including if they are misprinted or produced in error.

Pister said he doesn't know how many players may believe they won on misprinted tickets and how or why the tickets appeared to look like a winner.

"I haven't seen the tickets. I don't know how various individuals may be interpreting what they're seeing," he said. "The only response we can give is we apologize if they're having any confusion whatsoever."

It was also not clear how many of the 1,100 misprinted tickets might appear to be winning tickets.

Scratching the entire latex surface on a misprinted ticket should reveal it's not a true winner and it would not scan as a winner at a lottery retailer, Pister added.

But he said each complaint would be treated individually.

"You can just present it to us, we'll check and if you're due a prize we'll pay it, of course," he said.

The entire line of Fruit Smash tickets were not pulled from stores because the proper number of legitimate winning tickets were distributed, Pister said.

There were three prizes each of $75,000, $25,000 and $10,000 up for grabs.

The odds of winning any of those top prizes are one in a million, while the odds of winning any of the 848,369 lesser prizes with Fruit Smash tickets is one in 3.54, according to the OLG.

Pister said the misprint error is "extremely rare" and there are extensive quality control and assurance procedures at various stages of the ticket printing process.

"Obviously you can't scratch and play every single one of the three million tickets but there are various checks done by us as well as by the ticket printer." 

Lottery sales up again

Monday, January 5, 2009
Lottery sales up again
Denver Business Journal

The Colorado Lottery said it recorded sales of $499.4 million in 2008, a new record.

The total was a 2.6 percent over 2007’s figure of $486.8 million, which also was a record.

The agency said it has recorded sales gains for five straight years.

Results for 2008 were led by scratch-ticket sales of $332.1 million, up from $319.2 million from the previous year.

Powerball and Lotto sales both declined from the previous year, however. Powerball sales were $104.7 million in 2008; Lotto sales were $42.3 million.

Officials attributed the decline in Powerball sales to fewer large jackpots.

There were seven Lotto jackpots in 2008, up from four the previous year.

Lottery proceeds mostly go to Great Outdoors Colorado, the Colorado State Parks, and the state’s Conservation Trust Funds.

Two tickets from Lottery split $380,000 jackpot

Two tickets from Lottery split $380,000 jackpot
Daily News Wire Services
1/05/2009

Two local tickets from last night's California Lottery Fantasy 5 drawing split a jackpot valued at more than $380,000, officials said today.

One was purchased in Montebello, while the other was purchased northeast of Burbank in La Crescenta. The Montebello ticket was purchased from a 7- Eleven at 7330 W. Washington Boulevard. The La Crescenta ticket was purchased from Village Liquor at 2905 Honolulu Avenue. Each retailer receives a bonus of nearly $1,000.

The five winning numbers were 1,9, 14, 33, and 35. Each ticket is worth $190,078.

According to California Lottery Officials, Fantasy 5 offers some of the best odds of any California Lottery game. A player wins the Fantasy 5 jackpot by matching five numbers out of a field of 39.

The top prize starts at $50,000 and can exceed $500,000, depending on how many times the top prize rolls over -- similar to SuperLOTTO Plus and Mega Millions.

Winning numbers are drawn every day. Tickets are $1 and can purchased from any of the more than 20,000 California Lottery retailers.

Winners have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim prizes.