'Scratch' Lottery Games (Part 2)

Published in the Lawrence, MA Eagle-Tribune (c)

Saturday, August 15, 1998

   ... and just as important today.

By Steve Whipple
Eagle-Tribune Writer

Starting today, there is good news for bettors interested in knowing how many unclaimed million-dollar prizes remain on Massachusetts scratch tickets.

''Special Report 70 has been issued today to all agents to alert them that they will begin receiving an instant ticket update each time they log onto their terminal beginning August 15,'' said Susan Figoletto, director of communications at the Massachusetts Lottery Commission.

Ms. Figoletto said stores would receive the same information daily, with a new update every Monday. She said the changes are a result of an Eagle-Tribune report that told of customers and store owners who rarely saw the report.

Each time the blue lottery computers are turned on at stores, a small receipt with the number of unclaimed grand prizes will print out. This will reduce the chances of store clerks misplacing the updates or customers walking off with them, she said.

Currently the daily updates include only scratch tickets with prizes of at least $1 million. Could the list be expanded to include all Massachusetts scratch tickets?

''It's too long a list -- with about 30 tickets -- but I wouldn't rule it out,'' said Ms. Figoletto. ''This came about this week as a way to better serve the agents. We're still in the process of a computer conversion, and we'll definitely look at expanding to include all scratch tickets.

She said it would be in the best interest of the stores to post the list.

In other lottery news, the bill filed Thursday by state Rep. Donna Fournier Cuomo, R-North Andover, will go to the Rules Committee. The bill would require the Massachusetts Lottery Commission to pull games with one grand prize sooner and make stores post updates of unclaimed prizes.

The bill will have a public hearing in September, she said.

''We've had a number of people sign on already,'' Rep. Cuomo said.