Tag: West Virginia Lottery

West Virginia Lottery $1B Mark Comes Later Than Usual

The West Virginia Lottery has taken longer this year to reach $1 billion in revenues than it has in more than a decade.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the mark was reached in mid-May. Acting Lottery director John Myers said the month was finished with year-to-date gross revenues of $1.049 billion, down nearly $21 million from the same point in 2015, with one month left in the budget year.

It’s the longest it’s taken to get to $1 billion since 2003. The earliest the Lottery has hit $1 billion was in February 2007. That year, the Lottery set a revenue record of $1.56 billion.

The numbers of competing casinos in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland have multiplied since that time, and the West Virginia Lottery has taken longer to reach $1 billion in revenue.

Lottery Officials: 5 Tickets Worth $50K Sold in State

The most recent Powerball drawing produced five $50,000 winners in West Virginia.

State lottery officials say those tickets were sold in Wheeling, St. Albans, Spencer, Kenova and Wellsburg. Nearly 104,000 tickets sold in West Virginia won a prize of some sort in Saturday’s drawing.

Nobody won the $868 million jackpot, which is expected to grow to $1.4 billion for Wednesday night’s drawing. Three tickets won $2 million and 25 tickets won $1 million, but none of those were in West Virginia.

Sales in West Virginias have been brisk. Lottery officials say that during peak sales periods, West Virginia is seeing more than 10 Powerball transactions per second statewide.

West Virginia Lottery Holds Drive to Help Food Banks

Food banks across the state are getting help from the West Virginia Lottery.

The Lottery’s Given and Win Food Drive begins Monday at 441 retailers across West Virginia. Anyone who donates five non-perishable food items at a participating store will have a chance to win a pack of 100 instant lottery tickets.

The Lottery says each donor will be given an entry into a drawing. Three packs of tickets will be given away to three donors on Nov. 23 at each participating store.

State Officials Admit 'Errors' in $7.4M Lottery Project Bid

After initially defending a decision to award a more than seven and a half million dollar West Virginia Lottery building renovation project to a contractor that didn’t submit the lowest bid, state officials now say they made serious errors.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that a lawyer for the Lottery Commission recently told the West Virginia Supreme Court the documents state officials had released for the construction companies were flawed and had been confusing.

The Lottery Commission is now asking the Supreme Court to uphold Kanawha Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey’s decision in June to award the contract to Maynard C. Smith Construction of Charleston, the low bidder, despite its lack of submitted references.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Kelli Talbott says it’s too late to go back and award the contract to Wiseman Construction, the second-lowest bidder. 

Lottery Sales Top $1 Billion

For the 13th consecutive year, West Virginia Lottery sales have topped the $1 billion mark.

Director John Musgrave said Tuesday the lottery posted $1.16 billion in total sales for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Of that sum, Musgrave said more than $500 million went to state coffers.

Musgrave said money transferred to the state included $254 million from racetrack video lottery, $187 million from limited video lottery and $41 million from traditional lottery products, such as scratch tickets.

Musgrave said during the lottery’s 29-year history, nearly $3 billion has gone to education, nearly $1 billion to tourism and $1 billion for elders.

Bid Dispute Snags W.Va. Lottery Renovation, Cost Could Rise

The expected $7.6 million cost for the renovation of the West Virginia Lottery’s headquarters could mount amid a protracted bid dispute.

The renovation involves the lottery’s 13-story home in Charleston. In May, a circuit judge law clerk directed a lawyer for Maynard C. Smith Construction to draw up an order for the renovation contract. But the state and Wiseman Construction challenged the proposed order.

The Charleston Gazette reports that the state said in court papers that the renovation’s costs will increase significantly if the bid dispute drags on. They also say the state stands to lose $465,000 annually in rental income.

The Lottery building renovation will include space for the state Insurance Commission. It hopes to move its offices there from a state-owned building on the city’s East End.

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