A Connecticut Lottery Corp. employee who had been self-isolating at home has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting lottery officials to announce they are temporarily moving operations from the lottery’s Rocky Hill headquarters to a “backup facility” they declined to identify.Connecticut, Administration, Headquarters, Medical
A supply worker at Scientific Games in Alpharetta, Georgia, where scratch-off lottery tickets are made has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a company statement issued Monday.Georgia, Scientific Games, Scratch Games, Medical
An Oregon man’s $6.3 million lottery jackpot was made all the more lucky by the fact that his ticket was free — and he almost left it at the store.Winner Stories, Jackpots, Oregon
In a series of executive orders, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has increasingly forced businesses to close their doors to slow the spread of COVID-19, but there are three notable exceptions: Liquor, cannabis, and lottery tickets.Oregon, Retailer, General Interest, Medical
Hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the American gaming industry, including the expanding legal sports betting market, is optimistic the federal relief bill signed into law Friday by President Donald Trump will help its recovery.Financials, Legislation, Gambling, Casino, Sports Betting, Government, Medical
Brazil’s lottery operators are engaged in a legal war with their country’s mercurial president over whether they must continue operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this month, some Brazilian states ordered the shutdown of local lottery retailers in a bid to minimize further transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The Loterias Caixa unit of the Caixa Econômica Federal state bank ordered a three-month halt to Federal Lottery draws to prevent customers from going out to buy tickets.
Last Wednesday, President Jair Bolsonaro issued an amendment to a decree intended to ensure the continued operation of ‘essential’ businesses. The amendment added lottery retailers (and later, churches) to the list of sectors that are considered “indispensable to meet the urgent needs of the community.”
Bolsonaro (pictured) subsequently claimed that the “armored” glass separating lottery retailers from their customers would ensure that “the virus will not pass.” The president added that the “neurosis of closing everything is not working” and the government needed lottery revenue to ensure it could pay for COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
The California Lottery has closed its Sacramento office to employees after one of them tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a staff email the lottery sent on Friday night.California, Administration, Headquarters, Medical
Today the Powerball Product Group announced it is making changes to the multi-state lottery game’s jackpot due to sagging sales caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus.Powerball, Jackpots, Announcement, Multi-State Game
A Missouri woman who collected a $50,000 lottery jackpot in 2002 returned to lottery headquarters 18 years later to claim a $3 million jackpot.Winner Stories, Jackpots, Missouri, Won multiple times
It appears the latest attempt to create an Alabama state lottery will die, killed this time not by special interests but, instead, coronavirus.Legislation, Starting a Lottery, Alabama, Government, Medical
A woman who used her lottery winnings to move to a farm in England supplied free potatoes to people in self-isolation due to COVID-19.Winner Stories, UK National Lottery, After the Big Win, Charity
As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to disrupt businesses and lives throughout the United States, individual state lotteries have vastly different responses, and some will have you scratching your head.Insider Buzz, General Interest, Operations, Medical
The Covid-19 coronavirus has effectively quarantined the nation’s gaming industry.Financials, Gambling, Casino, Medical
With Missouri already losing tax revenue from the shutdown of the state’s casinos, sales of lottery tickets have taken a nosedive as people stay home amid a pandemic.Financials, Missouri, Retailer, Sales, Medical
China’s state-run lottery operations are now working at about two-thirds of their capacity before they were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.International, Retailer, Sales, China, Medical
An online state lottery game violates the gaming compacts between Oklahoma and Native American tribes and should end the exclusivity fees tribes pay the state each year, an Oklahoma-based tribe said in a court filing.Legal, Oklahoma, Court, Agreement, Second chance drawing
A dream of a lifetime seemed to have come true last week for an elderly Massachusetts man when he received a call from someone who claimed to represent Publisher’s Clearing House.Legal, Massachusetts, Scam, Law Enforcement, Crime, Sweepstakes
The Oregon Lottery has announced the winning numbers for the St. Patrick’s Day Raffle.Oregon, Winning Ticket Announcement, Raffle
The Oregon Lottery has announced the winning numbers for the St. Patrick’s Day Raffle.Oregon, Winning Ticket Announcement, Raffle
Every aspect of life in America has been impacted by the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19), including the lottery.Insider Buzz, Announcement, General Interest, Operations