Last mission to repair the Hubble telescope
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Rays fan guide to the Trop Print |
 Email story |
 Comment |
 Email editor |
By JONI JAMES
Published February 4, 2005
Fishing for a fortune? Try ordering Grouper next time you play lottery.
Starting Monday (2/7), the Florida Lottery will give players a new way to win: A six-pack of tickets for the price of five.
The $5 "Grouper" pack will include one ticket each for the state's Lotto, Mega Money, Fantasy 5, Play 4 and Cash 3 drawings, plus a bonus ticket for either Lotto, Mega Money or Fantasy 5.
But the fish-flavored deal isn't the only change players will notice next week as the state lottery switches operators for the first time in its 17 years.
A new contract with GTECH Corp. of Rhode Island to run the state's lottery drawings includes new machines at each of the state's 11,282 lottery retailers, more than 1,000 more than ever before.
Starting at 10 a.m. Monday, the new, smaller machines will deliver tickets on thicker paper and use redesigned play slips. The equipment uses satellite technology, rather than phone lines, to transmit information.
But 1-in-50 lottery regulars might find their favorite retail outlet isn't online Monday. Hurricane damage, combined with problems getting permission from landlords and corporate headquarters to install satellite dishes at retail sites, have led to delays in setting up the new machines at 316 retailers statewide.
The state's 111 Albertsons liquor stores, for example, won't be able to sell tickets Monday because its corporate headquarters signed off on the new equipment requirements too late to meet the change, lottery officials said.
Lottery secretary Rebecca Dirden Mattingly said GTECH has pledged to have all the state's retailers up and running within 60 days.
The company will also have 200 technicians stationed statewide Monday to handle any startup problems, she said.
"There's a lot of nervous energy in the form of excitement," Mattingly said this week. "We've been working on this for more than a year."
State officials have estimated the changes will mean an additional $38.7 million in sales during the next five months and an additional $91.5 million in sales in 2005-06. The new contract should also lower the lottery's operating costs.
Automated Wagering International, the previous lottery vendor, collected 1.8-cents for each dollar collected. The new contract with GTECH pays just 1.15-cents per dollar.
Last year, $3 billion in lottery sales translated into $1 billion for state education programs, such as the Bright Future Lottery Scholarships.
- JONI JAMES
[Last modified February 2, 2005, 13:29:09]
|
|
| Home |
 News
|
Politics
|
Opinion |
Sports
|
Entertainment
|
Money
|
Go Momma
|
Blogs
|
Video | Weather | Traffic |
Classifieds
|
Jobs |
Real Estate |
Cars
|
Site Map |
|
