Audit: Illinois Lottery broke law to get around budget impasse

AP via WGN ^ | 3:15 PM, May 21, 2016

[Olog-hai]

The state’s auditor general says the Illinois Lottery violated state finance law by prepaying $20 million to ensure it could participate in future multi-state lottery games even without a state budget.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the lottery made two $10 million payments on June 30, 2015, when it was clear lawmakers had failed to agree on a state budget that should have begun the next day. …

[Nailbiter]

actually the surprising fact is that law makers did not pocket the 20 million

[dp0622]

i won 5k once on a 10 dollar scratch offs. i looked it up and found that they make 160k for every 5k ticket.

better going with black red or even green on roulette. maybe not green :)

[rey]

Everything government touches turns to yuck. Why do people cry for the government to do more or to take over this or that. Their track record is wretched.

[Nailbiter]

Lottery is govt numbers game- I play in office pool- only because I do not want to be last one standing if office pool wins

[BloodScarletMinnesota]

I remember reading that Illinois was issuing IOUs to winners above a certain amount while the budget was being worked out last year.
I wonder if any payouts made by the Illinois Lottery to winners could be subject to claw-back because the lottery is basically a criminal enterprise.

[dp0622]

that would be brutal! it’s worth a few bucks in that case.

[scrabblehack]

I would think it’s the state agencies who broke the law by spending the money without authorization, not the lottery by paying early.