Posts Tagged ‘lottery contract’
D.C. Lottery Update: CAGE Is Out; Who’s With GTECH?
Two weeks from today, bids are due on the D.C. Lottery contract.
But who will step up?
The big question is: Which local business types will each of the three major global lottery equipment providers tap for a partnership? Tapping locals earns each company points in the procurement process and also helps grease the political skids.
Last month, LL ran down the possibility that Caribbean CAGE, an outfit backed by BET founder Bob Johnson and old D.C. politico Bob Washington, might pursue the potentially lucrative contract with big fish GTECH or Scientific Games.
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GTECH Splits With Longtime D.C. Lottery Partner
The parties behind Lottery Technology Enterprises, the firm that’s run the District’s lottery for more than 25 years, have split up, likely ending the chances for politically connected businessman P. Leonard Manning to continue his control over the city’s numbers games.
According to three sources with knowledge of the situation, lottery provider GTECH and Manning’s New Tech Games will not partner on a bid for the latest lottery contract, bids on which are due June 26. The decision ends a relationship between the companies that stretches back to the early 1980s, when Manning and GTECH together started the District’s first daily lotto game.
Bob Vincent, a GTECH spokesperson, confirms that his company is no longer committed to partnering with Manning et al. “We like and respect those folks,” he says, “but we are in fact looking at various options in respect to the upcoming bid.”
Manning did not respond to requests for comment.
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Lottery Contract Vote Liveblog!
OK, the D.C. Council is about to take up an approval resolution on the W2I lottery contract---the last stand in a nine-month-long drama. If you have no idea what LL is talking about here, either read up or move on, 'cause there's a lot of backstory here.
Long story short: Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wants the meaure to pass because it saves a lot of money; much of the council doesn't want it to pass because of issues with one of the partners in the contract.
The vote will be close. The CW going in is that there's six solid votes for the contract---Evans, Cheh, Bowser, Wells, Catania, and Schwartz. Beyond that, it's hard to see where a decisive second vote would come from. Don't expect Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray to do Hizzoner many favors here, if for no other reason than the fact he won't want to hand Fenty two consecutive victories (after the Peter Nickles confirmation).
Procedurally, this will probably happen fast. Someone will likely move to retable---a motion which is not debatable. If it comes off the table, it'll mean the contract will probably pass---after a whole lot of bloviating.
Check here for updates.
4:10 P.M.: The lottery contract IS NOT APPROVED. Paging Scientific Games!
4:09 P.M.: Wasn't even as close as LL thought it would be. Even Tommy Wells votes against. Final tally is 5-8.
4:07 P.M.: Numbers, numbers, numbers. "I'm gonna vote no."
4:04 P.M.: As Gray prepares to call the roll, Marion Barry says, "Just a brief point here." Evans caught on mike: "What's that mean? We're about to vote..." Barry goes on to cite W2I's profit-and-loss statement to no particular effect.
