Pat McDonald, Ohio Lottery Commission’s (OLC) Director, resigned this week. Yet, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine(R) is calling for an investigation into the lottery.
McDonald gave Sheena Maravich, Giant Eagle’s store manager, a check after her Mentor store sold a Mega Millions ticket which earned a player a $372 million jackpot in December 2019. The former director retired suddenly on Wednesday, catching Gov. DeWine’s attention.
A Cleveland.com report done on Thursday indicates that the governor is currently searching for a firm which will independently review the state lottery after discovering it has HR irregularities. McDonald claimed his deteriorating health prompted him to suddenly leave the lottery.
Gov. DeWine’s independent investigation seeks to check whether any lottery worker took part in the potential irregularities. Dan Tierney, the governor’s Press Secretary, informed Cleveland.com that they will investigate everyone in the lottery.
Even so, he didn’t reply to a message he received on Friday. The lottery’s spokesperson directed all questions to DeWine’s office.
The Lottery Commission’s website shows Michelle Gillcrist is its interim director. Yet, her LinkedIn profile indicates that she has been the governor’s Northern Ohio regional director since January 2019.
More Information About the State Lottery
Ohio residents voted for a state lottery five decades ago and formed the OLC. The state offered its first game in 1974, and the OLC has raked in over $29 billion since then, which funds Ohio’s education programs.
The OLC offered $1.41 billion in the 2022 fiscal year, the highest one-year amount. It funded special, primary, vocational, and secondary education. Besides, the lottery has sold tickets worth $4.3 billion annually in its last two fiscal years.
McDonald stated in February’s budget testimony to the Ohio Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education that the OLC intended to reduce its dependency on multistate game jackpots that Mega Millions and Powerball run since they have been unpredictable of late.
He added that multistate games generate 7 percent of annual sales revenue, yet monitor and scratch-off games like KENO generate almost 70 percent of annual revenue. Ohio has over 10,000 retail establishments that sell draw-game and lottery scratch-off tickets.
The OLC monitors over 10,000 video lottery terminals (VLT) which Ohio’s seven racetracks run. The racinos earned $1 billion in the first three quarters of the 2023 fiscal year and paid $338.5 million to the lottery.
Still, the Ohio Lottery Commission takes part in the sports gambling program. It oversees kiosk operations at specific lottery retailers with valid liquor licenses. The casinos generated a lot of money in the first two months.
Reports state that 866 retailers set up kiosks in their businesses by February 28. The machines have raked in $1.8 million in bets, unlike the over $1.7 billion online apps generated during the same period. The OLC got $42,190, out of the $178,186 that kiosks generated.
The OLC wants to upgrade its central gaming system even though its current agreement with Intralot has several choices until the 2027 fiscal year. McDonald informed lawmakers that a new gaming system can take years before it fully integrates into the OLC’s system.
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