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Lottery News for March 6, 2002

Wednesday, March 6, 2002

 – Virginia man wins $150,000 Big Game prize.  Sylvester Booker, Jr. of Dumfries, Virginia won $150,000 in the February 1, 2002 drawing of The Big Game.
Big Game gift worth $150,000.  Nancy Puckette of Hampton, Virginia collected $150,000 in the February 22, 2002 drawing of The Big Game when the ticket she was given as a gift matched the first 5 numbers.
California Lottery Account Back in Review.  After naming DDB in Los Angeles as the "apparent successful bidder" early this year, The California State Lottery said today it will put its four-year, $100 million creative and media account back into review.
Search for lucky UK Lottery winner.  Time is running out for a lucky UK Lottery player to find the winning ticket to unlock a prize pot of more than £175,000.
 – There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday drawing, but 3 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $150,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Georgia, and 1 in Michigan.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Tuesday, March 5, 2002

 – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $26 million Big Game drawing results!
Hodges wants N.C. law gone.  In a letter sent Monday, Hodges asks Gov. Mike Easley, Senate leader Marc Basnight and House Speaker Jim Black to ensure North Carolinians who choose to play the S.C. lottery are "allowed to freely participate in our games without harassment."  Hodges called the N.C. law "arcane."
Day Proves Unlucky For Lottery Vendors.  As the New York Lotto booty for Wednesday's drawing reached an estimated $45 million, Tasique Ahmed, an employee at Quick Pic Convenience Store in East Rockaway, thought he would hear the cha-ching sound of lottery ticket sales more often.  Instead, Ahmed's store and untold numbers of retailers in the state were turning away customers because of a computer glitch that state lottery officials say may not have been a glitch at all.  Instead, they chalked it up to retailers' failure to follow new security procedures that took effect yesterday.
Seeking a gas station without lottery tickets.  A priceless letter from a disgruntled South Carolina resident.

Monday, March 4, 2002

 – S.C. Lottery gearing up for Pick 3 launch Thursday.  Lottery players will have a new game beginning Thursday, when the S.C. Education Lottery begins offering its Pick 3 game.
 – Another woman bilked in lottery swindle.  The victim said she was approached by two men and a woman who claimed they needed $2,000 to pay taxes before they could claim a $15,000 lottery prize.
£3.6bn of lottery money is sitting in the bank.  A review of the UK National Lottery was announced by the Government yesterday after the disclosure that the bodies responsible for distributing money to good causes were sitting on £3.6bn.
Pinay nurse wins $33-M lotto prize.  Another recap of the lucky Filipina who won one-third of the record $193 million California jackpot.
Maryland Lottery Prizes and Tax Obligations.  Maryland residents can calculate their exact tax liabilities with this handy tax worksheet.  Our Jackpot Analysis page shows Maryland's tax rate at 7%, but as you can see from the worksheet, that rate can vary depending on the county in which you live.
Virginia woman wins $150,000 Big Game prize.  Bessie Wright of Poquoson, Virginia won $150,000 in the February 22, 2002 drawing of The Big Game.

Saturday, March 2, 2002

 – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday drawing, but 2 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $150,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey and 1 in Illinois.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Friday, March 1, 2002

 – Pennsylvania State Lottery Account in Dispute.  A dispute has erupted between agencies over the lucrative advertising account of the Pennsylvania state lottery.  The dispute, centering on a review for the contract to handle the account, points to the anxiety existing in advertising as agencies fight fiercely to keep the clients they have as well as attract new business.
 – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $22 million Big Game drawing results!
Lottery Express gives area retailers heads-up about numbers games.  From its scratch-and-win beginnings to the eagerly anticipated numbers games, the S.C. Education Lottery is right on schedule, officials said Friday.  On March 7, lottery retailers statewide will begin selling tickets to the first numbers game, the Pick 3 game. Other games are expected to be launched soon afterward, including the Pick 5 game to be started by May, lottery spokesman Brian Rish said.
MARC USA lands huge Pa. Lottery account.  MARC USA, Pittsburgh's largest advertising agency, was awarded the lucrative Pennsylvania Lottery advertising account, with billings estimated at $54 million to $90 million over a three-year-period.  The anticipated term of the contract is three years, with options for additional years.
Lottery-win busman in fare row.  A bus driver who scooped a share of a Lottery jackpot is to be quizzed over claims that two boys were left to walk home in the rain because they were 10p short of the fare.
Mass. Gov. pushes lottery prize reductions.  Reducing the amount of money paid to lottery winners and slowing down the rate of funding pensions would save the state more than $400 million without having to raise taxes, Gov. Jane M. Swift said Wednesday.  Editor: It's also a great way to lose money when people decide not to play.

Thursday, February 28, 2002

 – N.C. legislators question law banning lottery ticket possession.  Some Gaston County-area legislators have questioned a state law banning possession of lottery tickets after one man was charged with the crime.  "I've had people calling me all day," Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, said Monday.  "I think it's ridiculous. Haven't we got enough problems enforcing real laws than to take on this one?"
N.Y. sees big boost from The Big Game.  New York anticipates gambling revenues to grow by more than $300 million in the upcoming fiscal year by joining The Big Game, allowing tracks to install video gaming machines and expanding Quick Draw lotteries.

Wednesday, February 27, 2002

 – Man arrested in lottery crime.  A Hilton Head Island man who works for United Parcel Service was arrested in connection with allegedly trying to cash in two stolen lottery tickets, according to Cpl. George Moreno, investigator for the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
Lottery ticket buyers in North Carolina just can’t win.  More on the surprise N.C. lottery enforcement we first reported on Monday.
 – There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday drawing, but 2 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $150,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey and 1 in Illinois.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Tuesday, February 26, 2002

 – Flustered Winner Claims Big Prize.  More details about the last of the three California jackpot winners, including the fact that the winning ticket was a Quick Pick, and the winner elected to take the prize in one lump sum of $33 million before taxes.
 – Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $17 million Big Game drawing results!
Third Calif. lotto jackpot winner steps forward.  Welma Naguit was visiting the Philippines, her homeland, when relatives in Montebello, Calif., told her of the huge jackpot.  She had them buy her a single ticket, one of three that hit the winning numbers in the Feb. 16 drawing.  Editor: The linked article erroneously indicates that the single-largest lottery jackpot ($363 million) was for Powerball; it was in fact The Big Game.
Pick 3 to have partial launch.  The S.C. lottery will start its numbers games next week with 2,600 of 3,100 retailers to begin ticket sales on game's first day.
Eight S.C. lottery draw personalities selected.  Eight people from around South Carolina have been selected to draw winning numbers for the S.C. Education Lottery.

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.

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