News from my desk Tuesday January 15, @ 10.44am AEST

Competing Companies for Lottery Privatization Revealed

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (January 15, 2013) -- Pete Tartline, executive deputy secretary for the governor's budget office, told the Senate Finance Committee and a packed hearing room that the companies that dropped out of the procurement process were Tatts Group, which operates lotteries in Australia, and Rhode Island-based GTECH Corp., which has won previous lottery contracts here.

British Company Vows To Take Pa. Lottery From 'Good To Great'

Promise Comes During Hearing On Corbett's Decision To Give The Camelot Group The Contract To Run The System
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (January 15, 2013) -- Senior executives of the British-based company poised to take over the day-to-day management of the Pennsylvania Lottery say they have a simple plan to get more people playing scratch-off and numbers games that underwrite services for the state's growing over-60 population.

TEXAS LOTTERY® Transfers To Foundation School Fund Top $15 Billion

AUSTIN, Texas (January 15, 2013) -- The Texas Lottery Commission announced today that lottery sales revenue transfers to the state’s Foundation School Fund have now surpassed the $15 billion mark. Today’s December revenue transfer of $96.7 million brought the total amount generated for the Foundation School Fund since 1997 to $15.08 billion.

Wild Card Game Increasing Starting Jackpots

HELENA, Montana (January 14, 2013) -- The Wild Card lottery game is making some changes, including doubling the starting jackpot to $200,000 while decreasing the odds of winning.

Five Directors Re-Elected to AGA Board

Deutsche Bank Securities’ Richard Byrne to Serve First At-Large Term
WASHINGTON (January 14, 2013) --  At the December annual meetings of the American Gaming Association (AGA),  the following four members of the AGA board of directors were re-elected to serve for three-year terms: