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!
AUG. 30TH
thru
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4407 Texas Ave.
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822-7373
Townshire
Shoppins Center
College Station
693-2335
1504 Holleman
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Advertised Sale prices good
through September 4, 1993
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TARGET
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