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Lottery News for February 25, 2002

Monday, February 25, 2002

 – Michigan resident shocked by $150,000 Big Game win.  Jane Cassisi of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan experienced shock and amazement when she learned she had matched the first five numbers in the February 19 drawing to win a $150,000 Big Game prize.
Job Stress Led to Scam, ex-Mountie Says.  Prosecutors in Montreal have recommended 4 1/2 years in jail for a retired officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who worked on an anti-telemarketing task force but ran his own lottery scam on the side.
 – California couple in the lottery money.  Paul and Rose Briscoe, a Tustin Ranch couple who shared in the lottery's record-breaking $193 million jackpot, finally faced the cameras Saturday and presented themselves as calm, level-headed, responsible - and wildly lucky.
Powerball injects life into state lottery.  Colorado is faring better in Powerball and Lotto sales than any other state after introducing Powerball, Colorado Lottery officials say.
Internet gambling heats up.  Gambling over the internet has become big business in the United States over the past year despite a recession that has caused an industry-wide advertising slump.
19 vie to be face of lottery.  Nineteen would-be lottery-number pickers turned out Saturday for the S.C. lottery's version of "Star Search" at Columbiana Centre.
N.C. residents who bring lottery tickets back across the border may be violating the law.  A misdemeanor gambling charge against a Kings Mountain man found with South Carolina lottery tickets in his pocket is supported by a 1943 anti-gambling law, a district attorney says.  The statement by District Attorney Mike Lands may surprise many North Carolina residents who play state lotteries in South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.

Sunday, February 24, 2002

 – N.J. Lottery host Hela Young dies.  We are saddened to report tonight that Hela Young, a television hostess for New Jersey Lottery and a former Miss New Jersey, died today after a long illness.  She is survived by her husband and 10-year-old daughter.  Young gave the nightly lottery drawings for 24 years, but stopped in November because of her undisclosed illness, her husband Peter Hochman said.

Saturday, February 23, 2002

 – Lottery winner: I'm going to Disneyland.  Isabell Delgado says she loves her job as a clerk-typist at a Las Cruces senior center and she doesn't intend to quit it - even though she bought the winning ticket in Wednesday's $32 million Powerball lottery jackpot.
 – Powerball winner, bartenders reach deal.  The case of $195 million lottery winner Frank Capaci Sr. vs. the two bartenders who claimed he promised them $1 million apiece for buying the winning Powerball ticket for him was settled for an undisclosed sum this week, ending a case that brought opposing claims of greed and broken promises and dulled the luster of the big victory.  More: Bartenders, customer settle lottery suit.
Lottery fever creates momentary mob.  A convenience store sold 40,000 Super Lotto tickets in two days leading up to drawing for $193 million.
 – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday drawing, but 3 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $150,000 prize: 1 in Massachusetts and 2 in Virginia.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.
 – ADVISORY/California Couple Wins One-Third of Calif. $193 Million Mega Jackpot.  Official announcement will be made at a press conference today at 10:00 AM PST.  Click the link for details.

Friday, February 22, 2002

 – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $14 million Big Game drawing results!
8 Year-Old Girl Gives Lottery Win to Needy.  After winning $777 from a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket this month, 8-year-old Kelly Bateman decided she would give it all to Operation Blue Angels, a police-affiliated group that buys toys, dinners and emergency supplies for needy families in Port St. Lucie.
Lottery scratch-off payouts would grow under bill.  The Florida Lottery's popular scratch-off games could produce bigger winnings if a bill sponsored by Sen. Locke Burt becomes law.
Lottery spending plan hits wall in S.C. Senate.  The differences of opinion are so sharp that Democrats filibustered for nearly 24 hours Wednesday and Thursday before senators gave up and went home.
More hints at a Washington multi-state game.  Included in the linked story about the pending Washington state budget crisis is details about Gov. Gary Locke's budget proposal, which relies upon proceeds from a multi-state lottery game.
Andrew N.S. Glazer: Luck and other misconceptions.  Debunking several of the major misconceptions that haunt gamblers.

Thursday, February 21, 2002

 – $64.3 million Lotto winner fires himself.  "I fired myself today, and my wife called in rich," California jackpot winner Andy Kampe said, nervously beaming Tuesday as he faced the press and lottery chieftains to officially claim his $64.3 million Lotto prize.
Lotteries may hit the jackpot with bonds.  An inventor has devised a way for states to issue bonds backed by dollars from lottery gamblers looking to win, and sold to investors hoping they won't.

Wednesday, February 20, 2002

 – Check out our latest feature: Jackpot Analysis.  Of all the feedback we receive, this feature is requested the most often.  Now you can see what you would actually win if you hit the Big Game jackpot for both the Annuity and Cash options, listed by state.  Anticipating the addition of New York and Ohio into The Big Game, we've included those states as well.  As always, we enjoy your feedback, both privately through e-mail and publicly on Lottery Post!
 – Half Moon Bay man claims huge Lotto prize.  Wearing a bland gray jacket and appearing shy and nervous, one of California's newest millionaires officially stepped forward this morning to claim a piece of the state's largest Lotto jackpot in history.  More: Lottery winner 'walking two feet above the ground'.
California Schools Also Hit Lottery Jackpot.  The three winning ticket holders in Saturday's record-breaking lotto aren't the only ones to cash-in on the jackpot.  California schools will also get a cut, over $100 million.
Company Claims Lottery 'Bait And Switch'.  A company that lost its bid to run South Carolina's online lottery games said Tuesday that its main rival used "deceptive" tactics to win the contract last fall.
Politician Mulls Lottery to Lure People to Polls.  Thai voters could make instant financial gains from voting in elections, if a plan to set up an election lottery is implemented, newspapers said Tuesday.
Conmen use soap in lottery scam.  Five men, facing 11 charges of fraud worth millions of rands, sold soap and petroleum jelly as charms to people hoping to win South Africa's national lottery, the lotto, a court heard Monday.
New game worries some legislators.  Beginning June 1, some Missouri bars, restaurants and fraternal clubs will offer a quick-draw Lottery game.  Some legislators say the Missouri Lottery Commission went too far in approving Quick-Draw Lotto, and that the new game is vastly different from weekly or even daily raffle-type games that voters envisioned when they authorized the Lottery in 1984.
 – There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday drawing, but 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $150,000 prize: 2 in New Jersey and 2 in Michigan.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Tuesday, February 19, 2002

 – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $11 million Big Game drawing results!
EDITORIAL - Would Someone Please Deal with the Real Problem.  Several U.S. legislators have made it their mission to protect the world from online gambling, and they aren't going to stop until they get their way.  But most of what's coming out of Washington these days is a smoke-and-mirrors show, rather than an effort to deal with the underlying problem.  Editor: This is an excellent editorial that perfectly encapsulates the issue.
Easley: Lottery Could Help Improve Schools.  North Carolina could be one step closer to getting a state lottery.
Possible winner comes forward in record lottery.  A Half Moon Bay, California retailer said Monday he had helped a man validate one of three winning tickets in the biggest single-state jackpot in history.
Retailers lose bid to offer online lottery games.  Some South Carolina lottery retailers feel they've been handed a losing ticket because they can't offer the number-pick games that start next month.
GTECH to file protest.  Scientific Games should not have been selected to create and operate the South Carolina lottery's numbers games, rival company GTECH claims in a protest to be filed today.

Monday, February 18, 2002

 – Michigan Resident Surprised to Win $150,000 Big Game Prize.  Donald Watkins of Plymouth, Michigan was thrilled to discover he was holding a winning $150,000 Big Game ticket from the February 5 Big Game drawing.
Virginia Man Wins $150,000 Playing The Big Game.  Melvin Lightfoot of Richmond, Virginia matched the first 5 numbers in the February 12 Big Game drawing for a $150,000 prize.
Record California jackpot produced three winners.  Stories from before and after the drawing:
  • Three Tickets Match in Calif. Lottery - AP
  • Three tickets match winning numbers for $193 million lottery - San Francisco Chronicle
  • 3 winning tickets in $193 million lottery - CNN
  • State in Throes of Lottery Madness - Los Angeles Times
  • Patrons, Retailers Dream Big - Los Angeles Times
  • Workers Unite for a Big Payday - Los Angeles Times
  • Big lottery winners know a lot about what not to do - San Francisco Chronicle
  • Nevadans line up for chance to win long-shot jackpot - Las Vegas Sun
  • A record jackpot -- and wealth of potential pitfalls - Sacramento Bee
  • Lottery dreams by the millions - Daily Breeze
Five-month-old jackpot lottery ticket found in glovebox.  A Canadian couple have found a £2 million winning lottery ticket among a stack dating back five months.
Dreaming of Pigs Still Good for Winning Lottery.  What does it mean if Koreans see pigs in their dreams?  Having dreams of pigs was still found to be effective in predicting a winning lottery ticket.
Connecticut lottery celebrates 30 years, $6.8 billion in prizes.  "When ticket sales began in 1972, even the lottery's strongest supporters could not have envisioned today's success," said James J. Vance, lottery president and CEO.

Sunday, February 17, 2002

 – Record Calif lotto had 3 winning tickets.  Three tickets had the winning numbers in California's record $193 million state lottery drawing, officials announced Sunday.

Saturday, February 16, 2002

 – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday drawing, but 1 lucky player from Illinois matched the first 5 numbers for a $150,000 prize.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

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