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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1993)
Tuesday, August 31,1993 The Battalion Page 9 'The most efficiently run lottery in the country' Lottery hands state $80 million The Associated Press AUSTIN — By turning over many jobs to private business in stead of building a big bureaucra cy, the Texas Lottery was able to hand the state Treasury an $80 million surplus Monday, Comp troller John Sharp said. Sharp said the lottery has been so efficient, other states are look ing at Texas in setting up their own gambling games. "We still get calls anytime there's a lottery starting up any where in the country," Sharp said. "There's no question it's the most efficiently run lottery in the country." The lottery pays 5 percent of its revenues to retailers, about 50 per cent as prizes and about 30 per cent to the Treasury. Under state law, 15 percent was allowed for administrative costs. But Sharp said the lottery, which employs only about 180 people, spent only about 8 percent on administration. The difference was the $80.9 million check writ ten to the Treasury. "It would have been a lot easi er to hire 1,000 employees," Sharp said. Instead, the lottery utilized private companies for as many services as possible. Rather than create its own transportation fleet to send tickets to retailers. Sharp said, the Texas Lottery used UPS. The same went for its communications system and advertising campaigns. The lottery began selling in stant-win, scratch-card tickets on May 29, 1992, with the pick-six- number lotto game beginning about five months later. The comptroller's office had projected that the lottery would generate $461 million profit dur ing the 15 months between the start-up of instant ticket sales and the end of the 1992-93 budget cy cle, which arrives Tuesday. Sharp said that with the $80.9 million surplus and the final transfer of lottery proceeds on Tuesday, he expects lottery profits for the 15-month period to have topped $800 million. Projections for 1994-95 are $1.1 billion in profits. The comptroller's office next month will turn over the lottery to a new, independent board with commissioners to be appointed by Gov. Ann Richards. Sharp said he believes his office did its job in getting the game off the ground so quickly. Juror replaced as testimony continues in Denny trial The Associated Press LOS ANGELES - An ail ing juror was replaced by a substitute as medical testimo ny continued Monday in the trial of two men accused of as saulting truck driver Reginald Denny at the outbreak of last year's riots. The excused juror, a white woman in her 60s, called in sick at the beginning of the tri al's second week. She was re placed by a Hispanic who was one of six alternates, giving the jury four whites, three blacks, four Hispanics and an Asian-American. Juror identities haven't been revealed, but the panel's racial makeup became an is sue because the Denny attack, by blacks on a white victim, has been compared with the beating of black motorist Rod ney King by white policemen. As a news helicopter broadcast the soewe? “Denny was battered nean^” to death on April 29, 1992, at the out break of three days of rioting that followed acquittals in the King case. Two defendants were convicted in a subse quent federal trial. Damian Williams, 20, and Henry Keith Watson, 28, face charges of attempted murder, assault and robbery for attacks on Denny and others at Flo rence and Normandie avenues. Fire destroys Ellis truck stop; causes $1 million in damages The Associated Press DALLAS — A huge blaze destroyed a popular Ellis County truck stop, causing nearly $1 million in damage, authorities say. Investigators say they had not determined the cause of the fire at the Knox Fuel Stop on the eastern split of Interstate 35 between Dal las and Hillsboro. Red Oak's volunteer firefighters were alerted around 9:15 p.m. Sat urday, but by the time they got there, smoke was billowing from the building. The blaze was brought under control by 2 a.m. with the held of several other rural fire departments. "The whole building was a total loss," said Lt. D.J. Phillips of the Red Oak Fire Department. "There were no fuel tanks or anything like that involved. We did lose three semis that were inside the truck shop." Two firefighters suffered heat related injuries. Both were taken for treatment at Baylor Medical Center in Waxahachie. Phillips said the damaged areas included a restaurant, convenience store, truck stop and truck repair shop. Firefighters frequently stopped there to drink coffee and talk after responding to a call. Ho Crime Stoppers On Tuesday June 22 at 4:45 a.m. a University Police Officer was assaulted in the Reed McDonald Building on the Texas A&M Uni versity campus. The officer parked his vehicle at the ehd bf the loadipg cfb.ck; drb veway, entered the building, and began checking it fbr any suspi cious activities. When the officer rounded the corner, a light flick ered in front of him, and he was immediately struck in the forehead with an unknown object. The suspect exited the west end loading dock door. The suspect is described as a white male, in his 20s, 150-170 pounds, light brown hair, and wearing a navy blue T-shirt and blue jeans. This w6ek the Texas A&M University Police and the Brazos County Crime Stoppers need your help to identify the person re sponsible for this assault. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 775-TIPS. When you call, you will be given a special coded number to protect your identity. THIS WEEK ONLY! 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