The Hodgepodge Page |
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... Continued ...7-15-00 - Well, we just had our last drawing with 50 balls. Unfortunately, there was no winner which means the Lottery gets a head start in "boosting" their sales. I don't know how many unsuspecting people will fall prey to the Commission's dangling this jackpot in our faces, but, I will not donate my money since winning just became 10 million times more difficult than it was. I'm MAD and I QUIT. Did you know that they have sold literally "billions" of lotto tickets since 1992 and there have only been 403 "six of six" winning tickets out of all those tickets sold? So, you can just imagine what adding those 4 little balls can do. Maybe that will help everyone understand just how difficult it is to win. Lotto sales are way down now - there's been 6 drawings without a winner and the jackpot is only $21 million. I remember when in 6 drawings with no winner we would have a jackpot of $77 million! So, with that in mind, I do believe ya'll did do what you said you would do if this thing passed! But, keep coming to my site so you can keep up with the gossip ... OK? 7-13-00 -There's only one more drawing with 50 numbers before they add those 4 numbers which will make winning the Lotto really hard - and it's all for a financial gain for themselves. Trust me, the schools won't see an increase no matter how much they sell! For those of you who would like to see how the General Counsel summarized the comments for the Commissioners, I will give you a link that will take you straight to the page it is on at the Texas Register. When you get to this page, you may have to scroll down to the middle of the page where is says, "Part 9..." and start reading. Or it could come up in the right spot. It did for me! Just click here. 6-8-00 - Just a brief note to let you know that I did go to Austin last week where we reviewed all the comments the TLC received regarding the new adopted rule (adding the 4 balls). I am still working on the data and will give you a full report of all my findings as soon as I have all the information. When the TLC voted to add the balls, I dropped my Lotto purchases to a $2 ticket and I will continue to buy that ticket until they add the balls. Then I won't buy any Lotto tickets at all! And ... you know what? All I've done is save my money because I wouldn't have won anything anyway!!! It feels great too. One more thing, just for the record. The rumors on the streets is that some people (GTech reps) think that I am opposed to the TLC adding 4 balls because it will affect my work. That is absolutely NOT the case. It won't affect the Lotto Report at all. I am opposed because I am a player and I'm tired of losing my money. My Lotto Report sales are down because other people feel the same way. As a result, they no longer play as much if they play at all. So why should or would they buy a Lotto Report? Unlike the Commission, I listen to my customers and this is what they have told me. Unanimously. And I believe them because I can relate to it as a player. Now, enough said. 5-29-00 - Memorial Day - Last Thursday afternoon (5-25) the Commission finally contacted me to set a date to audit all the Comments they received regarding the Proposed changes. Right now, it is tenativily set for Wednesday thru Friday, May 31 thru June 2. I can have the conference room from 8:30 thru 5 pm on Wednesday, but only from 10:30 am thru 5 pm the other two days. Plus, we have to package the papers back up at the end of each day. They aren't making this easy for us. Huh? Oh well... Since there were basically 3 of us who generated the majority of these comments, GTech, TALR and myself, I felt it was only fair to invite them to participate in this audit. (However, I'm not sure who will be present as I write this.) We do have a Certified Quality Auditor who will be overseeing the entire audit, so we will be working under his guidelines. And this will be Phase I with Phase II to follow. For the record, I do want you to know that the Commissioners have the authority to vote in any manner they see fit no matter who or how many wants what. The purpose of the audit is so, We, The People, can know the "purpose" in the Commissioners calling for "public comment" or, was it a total waste of the players time. At least, we can have this knowledge for the future. Another reason is because Linda Cloud recently stated in a press release that, "A large number of our players, and retailers, have told us they want bigger jackpots and higher prizes." So, I want to know how many were players and how may were retailers and who said what. Don't you? Stay tuned... 5-19-00 - 10:30 AM - Yesterday afternoon I finally heard back from the Commission regarding my request to go through all the comments. They explained that they were extrememly busy and would get back to me before the 10 day limit with a date for an appointment. I will say this is the first time they have ever taken so long to get back to one of my requests. But, my hands are tied until we can get to those documents to count them. But don't worry, I will. Also, ya'll have been asking for the email addresses of those who supported this issue. That gave me an idea that I will work on. I'll add a link that will let you write one email and it can go to all those who were in favor so you can tell those few people how you feel. But I must say, I've saved some money this past week by not playing the Lotto and it's turned out in my favor. Imagine that! It actually feels good to not play the Lotto and lose. I think this must be why the Commission still can't get all the scratch off players back. They got use to not playing and decided it wasn't worth it. Huh? 5-14-00 - 8PM - I appreciate all your comments and support. They mean a great deal to me. And yes, I too sent my message to the TLC by cutting my spending to only $2 on last night's lotto. I saved lots of money! The best part is, I didn't lose anything. In answer to what are we planning to do, I'm not sure right now. Under the circumstances, I'm not sure that I will post our next move. I have everybody's email address so I will notify you that way. I am open to any suggestions so feel free to express yourself. I am planning on going back to Austin and doing a complete audit of all the comments. That's first on my list. I have already requested permission and expect an answer tomorrow. They may force me to purchase all the documents but I'm not sure what the laws are regarding knowlingly selling "highly probable" fraudulent and/or forged documents. Anway, keep your comments coming and thank you for all the kind words. Stay tuned... 5-12-00 - 8PM - I have just returned from Austin and the Commissioners approved the changes this morning. They will be adding 4 balls to Lotto Texas and are planning to make this change in July. I produced forensic evidence today showing that qualified Document Examiners believe the same individual signed more than one survey. For those of us in the business, we all know that this means the whole "survey" should be considered invalid. But, after I testified, GTech testified that they found one "bad apple" and he was fired as a result. Of course, there were "several" persons who committed fraud and forgery and the Commission should have to call for a complete investigation and the person"s" who violated the laws should be punished. Let's see, how many people have they prosecuted for altering scratch off tickets? Since this involves the Texas Association of Lottery Retailers and GTech, the Commission may feel that these actions are OK and look the other way. After all, it worked in their favor. We'll see. This ordeal has cost me a small fortune and I asked to be reimbursed but the Commission declined me. There will be more to come. So .... stay tuned ..... 4-30-00 - Well, today is the last day the TLC is to receive "official" comments from the people about their feelings regarding the proposed changes. I will spend today tallying up the comments, for and against, and will post my findings. Actually, I am writing my letters today and they will include the counts and my arguments for not adding the 4 balls. The April 19th Public Comment Hearing 4-20-00 - Like I predicted, there was only three of us that appeared in Austin for the hearing yesterday who testified we were against the changes. I did however, present to the Commission emails, letters and petitions containing approx. 2500 signatures of opposition. We absolutely out numbered the players who stated they were for the changes. I also tried to combat Linda Cloud's strategy. Linda Cloud, in her attempts to get the Commissioners to approve the proposed changes this time, has taken a different course of action. She's been planning her strategy very carefully .... After all, she learned 6 months ago that the players were against adding 4 balls so she has taken a different course. In a nutshell, Linda decided to convince the Commissioners to approve these changes by telling them of success in Florida and New York, by convincing them Texas was losing money to border states, by having Dr. Eubanks explain that it was just a "fluke" they had 6 winners in a row, and by getting the retailers to speak for the players. Which, incidentally, is also their customers. (Players, perhaps I should provide a link so you can tell the retailers how you feel about these proposed changes? Maybe I will - but later!) Now, here are the details of what I covered yesterday and the points I tried to make on our behalf. TALR, Texas Association of Lottery Retailers, sent out a "survey" to 4000 retailers - but they only have 213 members - The survey was multiple choice - AGREE or DISAGREE. On April 4th, a follow up letter was sent out in an attempt to get the surveys back. Then, according to several retailers I spoke with, phone calls were also made asking them to fax their surveys in. The point I'm making here, is I want you to see the massive attempts made by the Commission, GTech and TALR to get a response to their survey. They needed mass numbers in favor of the changes so this is what they did. However, to notify players of the proposed change, one press release was sent out on March 14 and notice is posted on their web site. How fair is this tactic especially when you see what the "survey" said? This "survey" was 5 paragraphs long and included a box so retailers could check one answer. Agree or Disagree. To sum the content of the survey up for you, the first two paragraphs spoke of sluggish sales, stated changes were necessary and told of the April 19 Comment hearing. This subject is what all retailers have been wanting to hear because they've been telling the Commission to either get sales up or get the machines out! The survey had big $ (dollar) signs on it. The third paragraph starts out with, "The amendments do not change the way Lotto Texas is played today, except to change the number of balls drawn from 50 to 54. The additional 4 balls is expected to create higher jackpots, thereby increasing Lotto Texas sales." (Note: VIP - This is exactly what the retailers have been demanding - an increase of sales - which ultimately means more money to them which they deserve.) Then the paragraph states higher 1% bonuses for retailers, the prize payouts will increase from 50% to 55%, and an increase of all prizes to players. This sounds wonderful - even to me! EXCEPT - I understand what adding 4 balls means. The 4th paragraph reads, "Similar changes recently for lotteries in New York and Florida brought marked increases in sales and dramatically boosted player interest in those states. Proponents of the proposed Texas Lottery amendments envision similarly successful results for Lotto Texas." Boy, this really sounds great but here's the true facts - On Oct 3, 1999, New York lowered the number of balls from 54 to 51 - New Yorkers are happy now and are finally playing the games! Florida added 4 balls in October 1999 and they added a second drawing. The addition of the second drawing alone increased their sales. But today, sales in Florida are declining - the people are angry. They also failed to tell the retailers that the same plan of adding 4 balls was implemented in California but failed. California reduced their balls real fast! I don't know about you, but I call this paragraph misleading and if I were a retailer, I'd be angry at "somebody" for not giving me all the facts necessary before making this kind of decision on behalf of my customers. Especially in light that most retailers are not players. Also, since the TLC is fantasitc about making mistakes but is notorious for blaming others, as Gerald Busald said, I suppose the TLC will say the Commission was not responsible for what was said on that survey.Botom line is, they don't care how they get the desired results, just so long as they get them. The last paragraph asks that the survey be returned before the April 19 hearing. It also gives an email address of tfia@tfia.org, a phone number of 1-800-856-8342 to receive comments. Then I addressed the comments made at the March 14 Commissioners meeting where GTech stated that much money was being lost across our border states. I submitted absolute proof this was not the case. According to the NASPL website, (a link can be found on the Texas Lottery's website), the per capita spending in 1999 in Lousiana was $66.14, in New Mexico it was $51.58 but in Texas it was $129.53. To see over the border spending, one only needs to look at the 1999 per capita spending in Delaware - it was $703.24, in Massachusetts it was $552.55, in Rhode Island it was $748.87 and in South Dakota it was $750.97. Now I think that their surrounding states lost revenue! In the 4000 survey's sent out and the follow up letters that was sent out to the Retailers, they were told of the Comment hearing that was to be held on April 19. There was no mention of the Commissioners meeting that was held on April 13. Yet, according to news reports, 22 retailers showed up on April 13 but only 3 or 4 showed up on April 19. I wonder how that came to be? I think Linda was trying to convince the Commissioners of something. Huh? In the end, I let the Commission know how disappointed I was to learn that they had already purchased their new balls. This makes me think this is a done deal and the TLC doesn't care how their customers feel which I think is extremely disheartening. I told them if they added the 4 balls, they would lose and I would be around to say, "I told you so." I want all of you to know that there is still time to stop them. But we must have comments. Please help me by sending emails and asking your friends to write too. We still have 10 days and We CAN STOP THEM YET. Let's bombard them with emails, phone calls and letters. Postcards will work too! (Links to send emails are at the top of this page.) I would also like your opinion as to whether or not you think I should give direct links for commenting to the retailers. It is NOT too late for them to retract their statements either. To email me with your opinion, just click here. 4-18-00 - I'm leaving for Austin this afternoon. I will be back tomorrow and will let you know what happened. Remember, this is where "anyone" can express their view points about adding the 4 balls to Lotto. My prediction is that there will be only a few players but G Tech/TLC will have the retailers, and mostly independents, there to vote for adding 4 balls because they "believe" it will help them increase their sales so they can make more money. Any bets on that one? I wonder what these few retailers are going to say when they have no customers to buy Lotto from them? Some will go completely under. Also, the retailers that testified last week don't play either, they just make money off the lottery! But, ya'll don't worry, we've got more against it then they could ever produce for it. But do remember, the comment period is not over til April 30 so keep your comments and petitions coming in. I will personally deliver them on April 30. 4-17-00 - Yesterday I went to the horse races and I asked the people around me to sign my petition. As usual, I said, "Did ya'll know that Texas was trying to add 4 balls to the Lotto?" One response was, "Oh, tell Texas NOT to do that. I'm from Florida and we did that about 6 months ago. The people are really unhappy. In fact, now I play less than I did originally and sales are beginning to decline. Just tell Bush to ask brother Jeb about it!" OK folks.... we're on a roll .... does anybody out there have family or friends in Florida that you can get to send me emails about their feelings on the subject? Also, we have a fantastic letter from the Director of Psychological Services from St. Edward's University in Austin. He wrote 6 months ago and he wrote again this time. He explains behavioral patterns and states that Texas would be making a mistake if they added 4 balls. I think if the Commissioners and politicians fail to acknowledge his testimony, then we're in dire trouble since this is the opinion of the Players too. Unless, of course, they produce like testimony from others to the contrary. This letter is posted on my letters page. To read it, just click here. 4-16-00 - Yesterday I finally posted your emails and letters for ya'll to read but I still didn't get them all done. There are some real interesting ones. While I plan to deliver copies of all correspondence to Governor Bush, Lt. Governor Rick Perry and Speaker Pete Laney, there is one message I have that will be attached with my letter to them. I feel that we are fortunate to have an "expert" say what the damages would be by adding the 4 balls. We'll see. Yes, I heard that Albertsons told the Commission to add the four balls but they also asked for more money. I think the person who testified, Doug Waldbaum of San Antonio, the Loss Prevention Mgr, was unaware it would hit the newspapers! I called him but he said he knew who I was and refused to speak to me. Then he hung up on me. So, I called corporate in Idaho and had a long visit up there. I honestly don't think they realize how the players and their customers feel about the TLC adding four balls. For those of you who want to call Albertsons and let them know, the numbers are: (It might help us.) Doug Waldbaum - 210-402-7255 (Beware - he may hang up on you!) The Comment hearing is 10 am Wednesday in Austin. I know so many of you have already spoken up so by all rights it should be enough. Your attendance should not be necessary. Personally, I know I resent having to travel to Austin to speak because I've already done so. (There will be NO decisions made on this proposal until April 30. We still have until then to comment.) But 6 months ago, Linda Cloud made a point of telling the Commissioners, "Well, we ONLY had 15 people ....." It sounded like she was telling them players didn't care because so few showed up. Since I've already heard them say this time that they don't have a count for pro and cons, implying that they could have as many for as against, then I don't know that maybe we should try to get people there. If anything but to let the retailers who spoke know how we feel. Then on the other hand, there was a discrepancy when Kimberly Kiplin said that people who are against something always speak up but people who are for something rarely speak. I think this was her way of saying they don't have many players for it. If the process is democratic in any way, they can't add 4 balls. Shoot, we even have our Representatives advising them against adding the balls! 4-13-00 - Well, I finally let the cat out of the bag with what I've been working on that has kept me from posting and answering all my emails recently. I issued a press release yesterday and I just posted it on my site for ya'll to read. I've also posted the newspaper stories that was published as a result. Also, hats off to Coca Cola. They have a man going to convenience stores making purchases and if the clerk asks him if he would like a Coke too, he gives them a crisp $50 dollar bill. Now, I call that an incentive to sell Cokes! One more thing, for those of you that have Petitions in the stores. I've taken 3 calls where the stores have reported their Petitions were stolen. This really bothers me. You might suggest to your store to have the petitions taped to the counters to prevent this. Finally, the Public Comment hearing is set for April 19th in Austin. We are running out of time. So please, be sure and have your petitions in the mail to me by April 14th or 15 and no later. As usual, the Commission has done NOTHING that I have seen to alert players of the Proposal to add 4 balls to Lotto Texas so we really need to spread the word NOW. And Linda Cloud implied to the Commissioners that she had an ad plan all ready to insure players would know about this! Imagine that?
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