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Corbett says British firm will get lottery contract
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HERSHEY, Pa. -- Gov. Tom Corbett says his administration has signed off on hiring a British firm to manage the state lottery, sending the contract for a final legal review.
Under the plan offered by Camelot Global Services PA LLC, Pennsylvania can expect an additional $50 million for senior programs in next year's state budget, Mr. Corbett said. That will allow for more funding of in-home services, the Area Agencies on Aging, and improvements to senior centers.
The governor again responded to criticisms of the deal, pointing to the state's growing elderly population as the impetus for seeking a larger and more reliable stream of funding in coming years.
"Too often government does not plan for tomorrow," Mr. Corbett said during a news conference at a senior center here. "This is about dealing generation to generation."
Camelot, which operates the United Kingdom lottery, has pledged to bring in more than $34 billion in profits over the course of a 20-year management contract, in part through introducing online ticket sales and keno.
Dan Meuser, secretary of the Department of Revenue, signed the management contract Wednesday evening. It now awaits approval from the state attorney general, which must be done within 30 days.
While he declined to confirm reports of what his soon-to-be-announced transportation funding plan will include, he did say that he will be offering proposals on infrastructure funding and on privatizing state liquor sales before his Feb. 5 budget address.
"We're going to keep you busy for the next few weeks," he told reporters.
First Published January 17, 2013 1:53 pm
